Wow!! September 25 is here! And today is Math Storytelling Day!1   

Did you know such a day existed? What is the connection between math and storytelling? Do you want to celebrate math storytelling day with your children? Do you know the story behind this day? Read on and find out.

Understanding math is becoming more and more crucial for students, especially those who want to pursue careers in the STEM fields. However, it can be scary for those without a natural aptitude for these fields.1 There are various causes for this, including a learning strategy that focuses heavily on memorization rather than learning the concepts behind the math equations. Many children experience worry and stress when faced with a math question or while working on a math assignment, and some even experience math anxiety. Children should be encouraged to develop greater openness to learning, self-assurance, and enthusiasm for math, as well as a more precise understanding that math is helpful outside of the classroom and not merely for examinations. This is important because math anxiety affects a lot of children and has substantial repercussions for both individuals and society as a whole.2

Finding new and more effective methods of teaching math is the only way to reverse this alarming trend when conventional education methods yield unsatisfactory outcomes. Math storytelling is one such strategy that helps keep children interested and motivates them to learn.3 

Even though some people might not think the two go together, Math Storytelling Day can be fun and valuable. A crucial component of teaching math is the skill of storytelling in the subject. This will encourage children to share their ideas and experiences without inhibition. For instance, develop a story with each number having a real-world counterpart, such as a bar of chocolate, a friend, or a toy, and come up with a scenario containing a conflict your child will have to resolve rather than concentrating on memorizing and solving math problems.3 

Explore how math and storytelling are interconnected and create math-based stories this Math Storytelling day. Children can benefit from this because it can help with stimulating their brains and creating delightful, fulfilling, amusing, and informative learning.

Today is a great day to involve children in reading and storytelling while teaching them math. Math stories can be theme-based, with puzzles, tunes, numbers, patterns, and logic incorporated in them.

So, now, what exactly is this Math Storytelling Day?

Every year, on September 25, Math Storytelling Day is observed with a goal to promote the use of math in storytelling and to recognize how math improves our daily lives. It’s a day to promote storytelling as a substitute for rote memorization to increase enthusiasm for math by making it easier to learn.1

When did Math Storytelling Day Begin?

Math Storytelling day

The first Math Storytelling Day took place on September 25, 2009. Since then, it has been observed annually throughout the United States to inspire children to start loving math as a regular subject and not as something to be feared.4

Everything started when Sue VanHattum loved the notion advanced by Dr. Maria Droujkova, founder of the Natural Math Community, regarding commemorating a day like this on their birthday. The story goes like this: the blog by Seth Godin entitled “What should I do on your birthday?”’ urged readers to consider others while suggesting birthday activities for friends, and Dr. Maria Droujkova was inspired by this. Sue van Hattum concurred with her decision to incorporate math storytelling day into her birthday celebrations.4,1 

Together, they hoped to share stories about math that were inspirational in a variety of ways with people of all ages in both social and professional settings. Later, the Natural Math Community formally established Math Storytelling Day, which has been observed for more than ten years now.4,1

In short, this event can give children an opportunity to explore mathematical concepts through storytelling in an exciting and unique way! Please read Make Math Fun, Easy, and Interesting with Storytelling, for an in-depth understanding on how you can make the most out of this day! Visit BYJU’S FutureSchool Blog to learn more about a variety of other math disciplines, ways to make math learning fun and interactive, and a host of other fascinating topics.

References:

  1. MATH STORYTELLING DAY – September 25, 2022 – National Today. (n.d.). Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://nationaltoday.com/math-storytelling-day/ 
  2. Johnston-Wilder, S., Baker, J. K., McCracken, A., & Msimanga, A. (2020). A Toolkit for Teachers and Learners, Parents, Carers and Support Staff: Improving Mathematical Safeguarding and Building Resilience to Increase Effectiveness of Teaching and Learning Mathematics. Creative Education, 11(08), 1418–1441. https://doi.org/10.4236/CE.2020.118104 
  3. (PDF) The Effect of Using Storytelling Strategy on Students’ Performance in Fractions. (n.d.). Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331490085_The_Effect_of_Using_Storytelling_Strategy_on_Students’_Performance_in_Fractions 

MATH STORYTELLING DAY – September 25 – National Day Calendar. (n.d.). Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://nationaldaycalendar.com/math-story-telling-day-september-25/

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