Dan Finkel Shares Resources for Playful Math Classrooms

 Guest Blog Post by Dan Finkel, mathematician, speaker, and creator of Math for Love, inspiring teachers and students to experience math as play, and a recent guest on the Math is FigureOutAble Challenge!

Hi everyone!

It was such a joy to join Pam and the Math is Figureoutable Challenge recently. I loved getting to share ideas and hear your perspectives, and I wanted to pass along a few resources and thoughts that came up—or that I forgot to mention in the moment!

Paul Lockhart’s A Mathematician’s Lament: A Free Must-Read

If you haven’t read Paul Lockhart’s A Mathematician’s Lament, you’re in for something special. The original essay was first published online in Keith Devlin’s Devlin’s Angle back in March 2008, and it’s still available there as a free PDF. Later, Lockhart expanded it into a short book, pairing the lament with an exultation.

It doesn’t really give solutions, but it captures beautifully what it feels like to do math. It’s provocative, it’s moving, and honestly, I think it’s essential reading.

And while we’re on the topic of Lockhart, one more plug: his book Arithmetic is my number one recommendation for K–8 teachers. Every elementary teacher should read it.

Games Worth Playing

In the session, I mentioned some games that are both fun and powerful for developing mathematical reasoning. Here are a few links for easy access:

• Don’t Break the Bank
• Math for Love’s free games page
• Kent Haines’ excellent Games for Young Minds

Games are such a great way to make math playful and deep at the same time.

What’s Cooking at Math for Love

At the very end of our session, Pam asked me what else we’re working on—and I completely forgot to mention one of the biggest things: our new Supplemental Curriculum!

It’s designed to invite students into joyful, profound mathematical thinking. Newark Public Schools adopted it last year, and we’re excited to see it expand to more classrooms.

Thanks again for the warm welcome into the Challenge. I’m grateful for the chance to keep the math conversation going with all of you.

—Dan Finkel, Math for Love

A huge thank you to Dan for joining us in the Challenge and for sharing these resources with our community. We love amplifying voices that bring joy, curiosity, and depth to math classrooms. Be sure to check out Math for Love for even more great ideas!