Margin Maths Problem-Solving Routine K-2

Make maths thinking visible — without printing stacks of worksheets.

Margin Maths is a low-paper, high-impact maths routine designed for Foundation to Year 2, aligned to the Australian Curriculum v9. Each Thinking Strip acts as a scaffold that supports students to understand, solve, explain, and check their mathematical thinking — all from a small strip that fits beside any maths task.

Instead of completing another worksheet, students use a Margin Maths Thinking Strip alongside their regular maths activity, problem, or bookwork.

What’s Included

• 14 ready-to-use Margin Maths Thinking Strips

  – Designed to support key K–2 maths concepts and problem-solving

• 1 editable Thinking Strip

  – Customise the wording to suit your class, unit, or school language

• Print-friendly layout

  – One page can be cut into multiple strips for low-paper use

How Margin Maths Works

Students respond to clear prompts that guide them through the maths process:

• THINK – What is the question asking?
• DO – Show working using numbers, drawings, or materials
• SAY – Say how the answer was found
• CHECK – Decide if the answer makes sense
• TRY MORE – Try another way or explore a “what if”

This structure builds reasoning, mathematical language, and independence — without overwhelming young learners.

👩‍🏫 Perfect For

• Daily maths routines
• Problem-solving lessons
• Small group work
• Maths journals and workbooks
• Early finishers or targeted support
• Teachers wanting more thinking without more printing

❤️ Why Teachers Love Margin Maths

• ✔ Low-paper alternative to worksheets
• ✔ Encourages mathematical talk and reasoning
• ✔ Easy to reuse across lessons and topics
• ✔ Aligned to Australian Curriculum v9
• ✔ Flexible enough to grow with your class