Year 3 Mental Maths Challenge

Parent guide: how the help pictures work

Every level teaches one mental maths strategy used in Year 3 classrooms. When your child is stuck, the game shows a short series of help pictures that walk through the strategy step by step. This guide explains each one, so you can talk it through with them if you'd like to.

Download this guide as a PDF

How the game works

There are 13 strategy levels and a final Skill Gate. Each level can be played in three modes, and each mode earns a ⭐ star:

PracticeNo timer. The help pictures are there for every question — this is where the learning happens.

👟Speed RunA timer. The help pictures are there, but the last step is greyed out — your child finishes that part themselves. A wrong answer shows the full last step.

ChallengeA timer and no help. This shows they can use the strategy on their own.

The Skill Gate mixes questions from every level (one star for passing). There are 40 stars to earn in total.

Certificates: every level on Practice = Bronze · every level on Speed Run = Silver · every level on Challenge = Gold.

Colours in the help pictures

tensoneshundreds / round numbers? the answer

The help pictures never show the answer — the red "?" is always left for your child.

How you can help

Jottings are good! Keep a whiteboard or some paper nearby. Writing down a step (like "470 + 30 = 500") is exactly what teachers want to see.
Ask, don't tell. "What did the picture do first?" or "What's the next jump?" helps more than giving the answer.
Little and often. Five to ten minutes a day beats one long session.
Practice before speed. If a Speed Run feels hard, go back to Practice for that level — there's no penalty.

You don't need to know these methods yourself — the pictures do the explaining. The descriptions below are just here if you'd like to follow along.