Teaching math seems to conjure up the most fear for parents, probably because of the damage done to us in school. It doesn't have to be so feared! We are currently using Singapore Math for our two younger children, but we've also gone many months without formal math, and the kids seem to be doing fine. More importantly, we're doing our best to keep their delight in math intact. Keep that goal in mind, and the skills will follow.

Books

Games for Math by Peggy Kaye. Fun, easy to put into practice games for young children (roughly ages 5 to 9).

Family Math by Jean Kerr Stanmark, Virginia Thompson, Ruth Cossey. Games for math for the whole family.

The I Hate Mathematics Book and Math for Smarty Pants by Marilyn Burns. These are terrific for introducing kids to the fun of math, as well as challenging them to hone their computation skills.

The Number Devil by Hans Magnus Enzensberger. This is really wonderful. When I first read it, I laughed out loud so many times my daughter couldn't wait for me to finish it so she could read it. Learn about Pascal's Triangle, exponents, irrational numbers, and more. For, roughly, ages 10 and up.

How Math Works by Carol Vorderman is a guide to hands-on projects involving math, touching on topics such as the history of calculation, what is zero?, proportions, algebra, statistics, measurement, geometry, and logic. Not at all like a textbook, and not a way to delve into any one topic in depth, but a lot of fun. Color photos throughout.

Fascinating Fibonaccis by Trudi Hammel Garland is a look at Fibonacci numbers and how they manifest in music, nature, science, etc.

Math Wizardry for Kids by Margaret Kenda et al. is another math activity book we've enjoyed.

Fractals, Googols and other Mathematical Tales by Theoni Pappas Very fun look at subjects like tangrams, topology, and other math wonders, with Penrose the cat as tour guide. By the same author, The Adventures of Penrose the Mathematical Cat, similar to the above, and Math Talk, mathematical poems in two voices, which we really enjoy.

G Is for Googol: A Math Alphabet by David Schwartz. Aimee really loved this, and it set her off on a month-long pursuit of what she calls "fun math."

Sir Cumference and the First Round Table : A Math Adventure by Cindy Neuschwander is a picture book about pi.

A Gebra Named Al by Wendy Isdell. This novel inspired Aimee to investigate algebra at the age of 11. Isdell was in eighth grade when she wrote the book.

Mental Math in the Primary Grades, Mental Math in the Middle Grades, Mental Math in Junior High, all by Jack Hope. These are very nice books for learning mental math techniques. I've been very impressed with the level of mental math taught in Singapore's Primary Math program, which we're using, but when we started Aimée in Primary Math, she had missed a lot of that program's mental math instruction from the earlier years, so we used these to fill in the gaps. If you're using Singapore Math, choose the Jack Hope book one level above where your child is in Primary Math if you want to match the level.

Mathematics: A Human Endeavor by Harold Jacobs. This is a college-level text "for people who think they don't like math." We have dipped in and out of it and really enjoy it. It covers topics such as probability and chance, logarithms and big numbers, topology, and mathematical curves. The style is engaging; there are illustrations and cartoons throughout. Aimée has used Jacobs's texts Elementary Algebra and  Geometry.

Especially for Parents:

Math: Facing an American Phobia by Marilyn Burns is an excellent book for parents, especially those with a bit (or more!) of hatred for or fear of math. Burns shows how math is used in everyday life and how we can teach kids in ways that will help them to really understand what they're doing rather than just memorizing algorithms. Her teaching examples come from classroom experience but are just as applicable in a home situation.

Software

Zoombinis Logical Journey by The Learning Company.I first learned about this Windows software years ago from other homeschooling moms on AOL. It was highly recommended then, and it still is. My kids and I all enjoy it, and along the way as we solve the puzzles to get the adorable little "Zoombinis" to their new home we're applying algebraic thinking. This is math with no numbers in sight, and it's a lot of fun. Sequels include Zoombinis Mountain Rescue and Zoombinis Island Odyssey.