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🧠 15 Mental Math Tricks for Kids

BeadBop Maths Blog · Updated 2026-11-04

Mental maths is not a talent — it is a set of shortcuts. Each trick below takes a few minutes to learn and can save a child seconds on every exam question.

Adding and subtracting

1. Make a ten. 8 + 7: take 2 from the 7 to make 10, then 10 + 5 = 15.
2. Round and adjust. 47 + 29 = 47 + 30 − 1 = 76.
3. Add left to right. 345 + 232: 300 + 200 = 500, 40 + 30 = 70, 5 + 2 = 7 → 577.
4. Subtract by counting up. 1000 − 368: from 368 to 400 is 32, to 1000 is 600 → 632.
5. All from 9, last from 10. 1000 − 274: 9 − 2 = 7, 9 − 7 = 2, 10 − 4 = 6 → 726. (This is a Vedic sūtra.)

Multiplying

6. ×5: multiply by 10, then halve. 5 × 68 = 680 ÷ 2 = 340.
7. ×25: multiply by 100, then divide by 4. 25 × 36 = 3600 ÷ 4 = 900.
8. ×9: multiply by 10, subtract the number. 9 × 47 = 470 − 47 = 423.
9. ×11: split the digits and put their sum in the middle. 11 × 52 = 5 (7) 2 = 572. If the sum is 10 or more, carry: 11 × 78 = 7 (15) 8 → 858.
10. Double and halve. 16 × 25 = 8 × 50 = 4 × 100 = 400.
11. Break it up. 7 × 48 = 7 × 50 − 7 × 2 = 350 − 14 = 336.

Squares and special products

12. Squares ending in 5: multiply the tens digit by the next number, then write 25. 65² → 6 × 7 = 42 → 4225.
13. Numbers either side of a round number: 49 × 51 = 50² − 1 = 2499. In general (a − b)(a + b) = a² − b².
14. Near 100: 97 × 96 — both are short of 100 by 3 and 4. Cross-subtract: 97 − 4 = 93, then 3 × 4 = 12 → 9312.
15. Percentages swap: 8% of 50 = 50% of 8 = 4.

How to make tricks stick

Teach one trick at a time, do ten examples, and come back to it the next day. Children remember a trick when they use it, so mix tricks into normal homework. BeadBop has 125+ tricks with worked examples and unlimited practice in the Mind Tricks section — and our Vedic maths guide explains where several of these shortcuts come from.

Quick answers