Christine Hopkinson

Data Discussions and Visualizations 

Too often, data is pushed to the end of the year or not prioritized until the upper grades. However, when used intentionally in PK–5 classrooms, it becomes a powerful way to build mathematical thinking, fuel classroom conversations, and support students in seeing themselves as capable problem solvers. Through data discussions and visualizations, students begin to notice patterns, ask questions, and make sense of information in ways that feel both relevant and engaging. 

What’s Red and White All Over? 

How the Rekenrek Supports Number Sense in Pre-K–Grade 5 

By Christine Hopkinson 

The rekenrek is a versatile math tool that is visual, tactile, and affordable. Its red-and-white bead structure makes number relationships easy to see and gives students a clear, visual way to think about quantity and place value. 

This post shares eight downloadable rekenrek mini-lessons for Pre-K through Grade 5 that teachers can use to support number sense in the classroom. Each lesson highlights a specific mathematical concept and shows how the structure of the rekenrek helps students see and reason about numbers. 

Make Math a Family Affair: Your Guide to Hosting Family Math Night 

Turn math learning into a fun, interactive event for families! This step-by-step guide helps schools plan a successful Family Math Night, with practical tips, station ideas, and strategies to engage students and families in hands-on math learning.  

Bring math learning home and encourage family engagement. Family Math Night is an interactive event that brings students and families together to explore math in fun, approachable, hands-on ways. It helps families see the joy in math, understand how math is taught today, and fosters a strong home-school connection. Didax is pleased to offer many products to support in this Back-to-School endeavor.   

Little Minds, Big Numbers: The Importance of Math in Preschool Classrooms 

Hands-on math in preschool is about more than numbers—it’s about building curiosity, problem-solving, and essential thinking skills. From sorting and measuring to patterns and counting, playful activities lay the foundation for lifelong math success. These activities don't just teach math—they teach kids how to think. 

Let’s count, sort, measure, and build our way into bright mathematical futures—one playful moment at a time! 

Empowering All Learners!

Leveraging Active Mathematics Learning for Students with Disabilities

Introduction

In today's diverse classrooms, mathematics instruction must be inclusive, equitable, and accessible. Recognizing this imperative, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) have issued a powerful joint position statement. It champions the rights of students with disabilities to receive high-quality, grade-level mathematics instruction, backed by collaborative, research-based teaching strategies. 

This blog unpacks the key declarations, guiding principles, and actionable recommendations from this critical document. It also highlights ways Didax’ vision aligns and how our products can support educators in this critical mission.

Summer Learning: Joyful Active Math for Teachers and Parents  

Summer is the perfect time to relax, recharge—and keep young math minds sharp. Many students are eager to step away from school, but studies show that the long break can lead to a learning loss known as the “summer slide,” especially in math. The good news? Learning math in the summer doesn’t have to feel like schoolwork. With a bit of creativity, both teachers and parents can turn math into a joyful part of summer. Let’s explore exciting ways to keep math skills alive and well this summer!  

A primer on counting skills in the early years 

Mathematical Foundation

By Christine Hopkinson  

Pre-K – grade 1 educators know all too well the importance of math in the early years and research confirms, “Children’s early mathematical knowledge serves as a predictor of later mathematics success and their college and career opportunities.” (Shah et al. 2018; Watts et al. 2014).  

By: Christine Hopkinson, Senior Product Manager  

At Didax, we’re passionate about creating engaging, high-quality materials that make math fun and accessible for students. Our newest addition, the 0-20 Shape Playing Cards, is a perfect example. These versatile cards aren’t just for one grade level or topic—they’re designed to seamlessly support a wide range of math concepts. From counting to operations, these cards offer endless opportunities for hands-on learning and fun. Since traditional cards don’t have the numbers 0-20, they often do not fully address fluency skills students need to practice with. That’s where this innovative set of cards comes in as they provide the range of numbers needed in K-5 and beyond! 

Counting collections are rich, relevant cooperative learning tasks that also provide authentic formative assessment opportunities. Students in PK-2 apply many foundational skills while participating in counting collections: number list, cardinality, conservation, pairing one object to only one number name, place value, answering “how many?”.