Book Review Coming Soon: We have requested a physical copy of Math Doesn’t Bite, and our full review will be coming soon. In the meantime, I wanted to introduce you to the young author behind this new book and share why I think families may want to take a closer look at it.
I would like to introduce you to an author who is only 16 years old and who has written a new book that could help families make math a little less intimidating and a lot more fun. Can you imagine writing a book at 16 because I can’t.
Especially not a book on Math which I stink at. How about you? My dad and Charlie both are good at math and I know they would enjoy Math Doesn’t Bite a lot. How about you. Do you like Math? Please help me welcome the Author Elie Tirman, and he is the author of Math Doesn’t Bite, a practical and playful guide created for parents of children ages 5–6.
Now, you may be wondering why I’m sharing a book about helping young children with math when my family doesn’t homeschooling anymore. Well, as I’ve said before I strongly believe that we are never too old to learn something new.
And even though our homeschooling years are behind us, learning doesn’t stop when our children graduate. There are always new ideas to discover, new things to try, and new ways to help the children in our families.
That’s one of the reasons I’m excited about Math Doesn’t Bite. I want to share it not only with my own family but with my nieces and nephews as well. The idea behind Elie’s book is simple: Math doesn’t always have to look like a worksheet or a school lesson.
Math can happen while you’re cooking dinner. Math can happen while you’re walking up the stairs.
Math can happen while you’re sharing snacks. Math can happen while you’re comparing the sizes of two apples, looking for shapes, estimating how long a trip will take, or simply asking a child to make a guess. And sometimes children can be learning math without even realizing they’re learning.
I wanted to let you know Elie became interested in the subject of math after noticing something while helping his friends with their math homework. He often found himself explaining math to friends who struggled with it, and he began wondering why math seemed natural to him while some of his friends had already decided they were “bad at math.”
What really caught his attention was that many of them connected those feelings to experiences they had when they were very young. That led Elie to explore the idea of math anxiety and how early children can begin developing negative feelings about mathematics.
He discovered that math anxiety can appear surprisingly early, sometimes around age five. At that age, children aren’t just learning numbers and mathematical concepts. They’re also beginning to develop beliefs about themselves as learners.
Are they good at math? Are they bad at math? Can they figure things out? Do they give up when something is difficult? Elie believes that creating positive experiences with math early on can help children develop a healthier relationship with the subject. And that’s where Math Doesn’t Bite comes in.
One of the things Elie discovered while working with parents and children is that parents often want to help their children with math but aren’t sure how to do it. Most parents understand how to encourage reading.
We read bedtime stories. We point out words. We ask children questions about what they’re reading. But math can sometimes feel as though it requires worksheets, workbooks, tutoring, or a formal lesson which we may not have time or the experience to do.
Elie’s approach is different. He believes parents can find math opportunities throughout their normal day. Count the stairs. Compare two pieces of fruit. Share cookies fairly. Estimate how long it will take to get somewhere.
Look for shapes. Change the quantities in a recipe. Ask a child to guess how many objects are in a container and then count them together. These moments don’t have to feel like school. They can simply be moments of curiosity.
I wanted to share what Elie learned from working with families: Elie’s ideas grew in part from workshops he held with parents of five-year-olds, including workshops at the American School of Paris. What he discovered was interesting.
Parents weren’t necessarily lacking motivation. They were lacking ideas. Once they were shown simple ways to incorporate math into everyday life, they quickly began coming up with ideas of their own. That became part of the foundation for Math Doesn’t Bite.
The goal isn’t to turn parents into math teachers. Instead, Elie wants to give families simple ideas they can use without extensive preparation, additional screen time, or turning the kitchen table into another classroom. Sometimes, just five minutes of playful math can become a meaningful learning experience.
Here is a question that I had to wonder about because I don’t like math so I wondered about parents Who don’t like math? Which is probably something many adults can relate to. Or at least I can and so can David. How about you?
How many of us have heard someone say: “I’m terrible at math.” Or: “I’ve always hated math.” Elie believes the way adults talk about math can influence how children begin to think about themselves. I believe this. Do you?
If a child repeatedly hears that someone is simply “bad at math,” they may begin to believe that being good at math is something you’re either born with or you’re not. But parents don’t have to pretend they love math. They don’t have to be experts.
Instead, Elie suggests that parents can say something like: “I found math difficult at school, but let’s figure this out together.” That’s a very different message. It tells a child that struggling doesn’t mean you can’t learn. It tells them that it’s okay not to know the answer immediately. And it gives parents and children an opportunity to discover something together.
Five Questions With Elie Tirman
I was excited to have the opportunity to ask Elie several questions about his book, his experiences, and why he believes it’s so important to introduce children to math in a positive way.
1. Why is it important to have fun math experiences from a young age?
Elie explained that his interest began when he noticed how many of his friends already believed they were “bad at math.” Many of them said they had always felt that way or had hated math since they were little. As he researched the subject, he learned that math anxiety can appear very early, sometimes around age five.
That stayed with him because young children aren’t only learning mathematical skills at that age. They’re also beginning to develop ideas about themselves as learners. Elie believes playful experiences can help children see math as something normal, enjoyable, and worth exploring before fear has a chance to take hold.
2. Why should families incorporate math into daily life as naturally as reading?
Elie says parents often know exactly how to encourage literacy.
They read stories, point out words, and ask questions.
With math, parents sometimes feel as though they need worksheets or a tutor.
But through his workshops, Elie discovered that parents mostly needed ideas.
Once they saw how easy it could be to bring math into ordinary activities, they began creating their own opportunities.
Math is already everywhere. It’s in cooking. It’s in counting. It’s in comparing. It’s in estimating. It’s in shapes and measurements. And children can develop mathematical thinking without feeling like they’re doing another school assignment.
3. How can parents avoid passing their own negative feelings about math on to their children?
Elie says the first step is to pay attention to how we talk about math. When adults repeatedly say they’re terrible at math, children can begin to believe that mathematical ability is fixed. Instead, parents can acknowledge their own experiences without passing along the idea that being “bad at math” is permanent.
A parent can say, “I found math difficult at school, but let’s figure this out together.” Then they can make math playful. Ask a child to estimate how many strawberries are in a bowl. Figure out how to share cookies fairly. Guess which line will move faster. Look for shapes. Make comparisons. The goal is to create curiosity rather than pressure.
4. What can parents do when a child says, “I’m not a math person”?
Elie believes parents can help children understand that struggling with math doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of learning it. Rather than reinforcing the idea that some people are simply “math people” and others aren’t, parents can encourage exploration. They can make mistakes together. They can ask questions. They can experiment. And they can show children that not knowing an answer immediately is simply part of learning.
5. What surprised you most while writing the book?
One of the things that stood out to Elie was just how much math already exists in ordinary family life. Parents don’t necessarily need complicated activities. They often just need to recognize the mathematical opportunities that are already around them. That idea became an important part of Math Doesn’t Bite.
About Math Doesn’t Bite: Math Doesn’t Bite was written for parents of children ages 5–6 and focuses on helping families introduce mathematical thinking through playful, everyday experiences.
The book includes:
- Dozens of screen-free games, tips, and activities
- Ideas for bringing math into ordinary family moments
- 15 playful scenarios for exploring mathematical concepts
- Ideas for building confidence, curiosity, and problem-solving skills
- Activities designed to make math feel natural rather than intimidating
The book is available in English and French, with the English edition scheduled to become available on Amazon on October 10, 2026.
Even though my own family is no longer homeschooling, I still love discovering resources that encourage children to learn and families to learn together. I also believe earning doesn’t have an age limit and should be done every day.
And I think that’s one of the reasons Math Doesn’t Bite caught my attention. Learning isn’t something that ends when a child finishes homeschooling, graduates high school, or heads off into the world. We’re never too old to learn something new which I’m grateful my dad was always reminding me and his grandchildren.
For me, this book isn’t just about teaching young children math. It’s about encouraging curiosity. It’s about showing children that they can work through something they don’t immediately understand. And it’s about reminding families that some of the best learning moments can happen during the most ordinary parts of our day.
I’m looking forward to sharing Math Doesn’t Bite with my own family and with my nieces and nephews. And I’m especially looking forward to seeing what we think once the physical book arrives.
Our physical copy of Math Doesn’t Bite will be arriving soon. Once it arrives, I’ll spend some time looking through the book and exploring the activities so I can share our actual hands-on review with you.
For now, I wanted to introduce you to Elie Tirman, a 16-year-old author with a passion for helping children develop a positive relationship with math. I hope you’ll check back soon for our review of Math Doesn’t Bite.
Because whether you’re homeschooling, helping a young child with homework, spending time with nieces and nephews, or simply looking for new ways to make everyday learning fun, there is always something new to learn.
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.
GreatfulMoments.com
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
