One of the easiest ways to raise kids who love math is to have great math resources at home. I shared some of our favorite math games earlier this week, and today I am writing about math books for kids that we love! These are books that kids will enjoy picking up and looking through, although you can also use them as part of a homeschool curriculum, or for a more formal after school enrichment. I grew up in a home full of books like these, and that is the approach I take with my kids. The books are there for them to use, and if they want to talk to me about them I am available. Occasionally I will bring a particular book to a particular child’s attention because I think they are at a point where they would enjoy it, but for the most part the books are simply there for discovery when the child is ready.

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Math Books Kids Will Love

• Beast Academy is my all time favorite elementary school math curriculum! The graphic novel style books are brilliant, and the exercises teach children to think like real mathematicians.
• My kids and I love the Life of Fred series of math books so much that it got its very own earlier this month! If you want your kids to learn mathematical problem-solving while developing their sense of humor, this is the series for you!
• Bedtime Math has fun story-based math stories with word problems for each story divided into three levels of difficulty: wee ones, little kids, and big kids. This is a book that will grow with your children!
• Math ART has kids exploring fractions, multiplication facts, place value, patterns, symmetry, statistics, and more through art! If your child loves art, this book is a must-have for your library!
• This Is Not a Math Book is a brand-new art-based book from Usborne – one of my favorite publishers of children’s books!
• Amazing Math Projects You Can Build Yourself has children cutting apart shapes to discover area formulas, building geometric models, and playing with Mobius strips.
• The Usborne Lift-the-Flap Times Tables book is full of fun illustrations will have your children giggling as they practice their times table facts. Nine-year-old Emma knows most of her times tables by now (the book goes up to 12×12), but that didn’t stop her from picking this book to bring on the plane on our recent flight to Boston.
• Usborne also has three different math dictionaries! All three are excellent, and they come in a nice math kit along with a tangram set and other math tools.
• Math Wise! is a book full of math activities that will feel like games to kids. Several of these activities involve kids getting active, and they are designed to work with kids from grades K-8.
• My kids enjoy using Math Mosaics to practice their math facts, and Math Line Designs From Around the World combines the same concept with a little bit of basic global art education for older kids (grades 4-6).
• 40 Fabulous Math Mysteries Kids Can’t Resist has kids using math to play detective.

Do you have a favorite math book or math series for kids that I should add to this list?

More Fun Learning Activities for Kids

For parents looking for playful activities that are clearly educational for preschoolers, this book is a great resource:

If you are looking for a home preschool curriculum, ABC & 123 is a wonderful place to start! I contributed to the book, along with some of my favorite early education bloggers. The activities provide a tiny bit of structure in a playful environment where children can explore early literacy and numeracy skills.

What are your favorite math books for kids?

MaryAnne Kochenderfer

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MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.