We do that!

That’s what I was thinking while listening to Dan Meyer’s keynote at the California Math Council’s Central Symposium. If you’re not familiar with Dan, he’s a nationally recognized math educator known for reimagining how teachers design and present math problems to spark curiosity and deeper thinking.

His talk centered on nurturing student creativity in math lessons. “Creativity,” he said, is “one of the most essential human activities,” and I agree. Humans are naturally curious…we explore, test ideas, and try to make sense of the world. Some of our best learning comes from trial and error, which, in my view, is the heart of creativity.

So why was I so excited during his talk? Because many of the activities in our Classic Family Math Night Kits were designed with creativity in mind. It’s far more engaging to be able to create your own fraction spinner or build your own straw structures. And there’s nothing quite like learning probability than by designing your own (fair and unfair) dice.

When students have a voice in the activity, the experience becomes more meaningful and helps solidify key concepts, ultimately leading to deeper learning. In other words, when we nurture creativity, we nurture confidence, and that’s the kind of learning that lasts.

One of my favorite parts during a family math night is listening to the mathematical conversations students are having with their parent as they design and create together. Those conversations are where you see confidence grow, curiosity spark, and families genuinely enjoy learning together.

The photos below highlight several activities from our kits that nurture this student creativity. To learn more about each of our classic kits, click the kit icon located beneath the photos.