The Easy Route – Mental Calculations

Help children become more confident and efficient mathematicians with The Easy Route, a clever maths resource designed to develop flexible thinking and powerful mental calculation strategies.

Instead of simply solving calculations, this activity encourages pupils to think about how they solve them — choosing the most efficient order, spotting helpful number relationships, and using friendly numbers to make calculations easier.

With two engaging game formats included, children practise selecting the best approach and explaining their reasoning, building both confidence and deeper mathematical understanding.

What’s Included

3-number challenge sheets
Children choose the best order to place numbers into a calculation to make it easier to solve mentally
4-number challenge sheets (Odd One Out)
Children identify which three numbers work best together, explain their strategy, and eliminate the extra number
Clear, easy-to-follow instructions

Why You’ll Love It

Develops strong mental maths and number sense
Encourages flexible thinking and efficient strategies
Promotes reasoning and mathematical discussion
Moves children beyond methods to understanding why strategies work
Low-prep and easy to use across a range of abilities

Perfect For

✔ KS2 maths lessons
✔ Mental maths warm-ups
✔ Small group work and interventions
✔ Maths centres or stations

Skills Covered

Mental addition, subtraction and multiplication strategies
Recognising friendly numbers
Rearranging calculations for efficiency
Problem solving and reasoning

The Easy Route empowers children to think like mathematicians — choosing smarter strategies, spotting patterns, and solving calculations with confidence.

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