Around the Poly Prep Lower School gym, children perched on chairs and on the floor between parents and guardians, focused on math activities that included cards, blocks, dry-erase boards, and other colorful, tactile materials. Bursts of laughter and quiet calculation filled the room as families leaned in together, testing strategies, comparing answers, and celebrating small mathematical victories.

The lively scene was part of Grade 2 Family Math Night on Tuesday, March 10, an evening designed to bring families into the heart of the classroom math experience. Through puzzles, number challenges, and strategy-based games, students and caregivers explored the same playful approach to problem-solving that shapes math learning at school. The goal was not only to practice skills, but to help families see how curiosity, experimentation, and collaboration build confidence with numbers. It also offered families simple and effective ways to continue learning together at home.

“Our goal is for our students to experience math in an exploratory way by making connections to their prior knowledge, looking for patterns, making mistakes, developing theories, and sharing different ways to solve the problem.”
–Lower School Math Specialist Marissa Pennington

The evening opened with a presentation by Math Specialist Marissa Pennington, who spoke with families about building positive math attitudes and embracing a growth mindset. “Struggle is valuable,” she explained, encouraging parents to see productive struggle as an essential part of learning. Pennington described the Lower School’s math approach as one that focuses on the learning process itself and based on the concepts of Singapore math. The approach involves developing a positive disposition toward math while prioritizing sensemaking and conceptual understanding through concrete, pictorial, and abstract frameworks. In her office, she keeps a small sign that reads “YET“—a reminder she imparts to students when frustration arises, reframing moments of doubt with the phrase, “I can’t do it… yet.”

Pennington also emphasized the program’s balanced approach to math fluency. “Fluency of math facts is an important part of our program,” she told families. “We work to improve fluency through engaging activities and games, minimizing rote learning and stressful tests. Tonight you will get to experience different games that work to improve student fluency in addition, subtraction, and multiplication.”

She shared the article “Fluency Without Fear: Research Evidence on the Best Ways to Learn Math Facts” with families, which highlights research on the importance of number sense, helping students understand numbers deeply and see the relationships between them, rather than relying solely on memorization.

Before families moved into the activity portion of the evening, Pennington encouraged parents to step back and let their children take the lead. “Our goal is to have families visit two or three stations,” she said. “Empower your child to teach you how to play the games.” The eight stations set up around the gym gave students the chance to do just that—demonstrating familiar classroom games that build reasoning, strengthen number sense, and make practicing math facts a collaborative and fun experience families can continue at home.