Five-minute maths routines that stick

The best maths practice is the kind that fits inside an ordinary day. These four routines take five minutes and need nothing but conversation.

The car countdown

Start at 100, subtract 7 each time. Or count up in 0.25s. Mental arithmetic that becomes a game rather than a test.

Shape of the day

Name the time, then ask how long until the next thing. Calculating elapsed time is one of the most useful and most neglected skills in primary maths.

Shopping estimates

Before the till: roughly what will this cost? Children who estimate fluently spot wrong answers immediately.

One question at bedtime

A single question, chosen so they can succeed: "What's 25% of 80?" Then let them explain how they got there.

Little and often, always out loud, never a worksheet at the kitchen table after a long school day.