Across all primary classrooms, the word ‘should’ is never far away. “What should you do next?”, “What should the answer be?”, “How should I solve this?”. These ‘shoulds’ can quietly create pressure - especially when a child feels uncertain or when their go-to strategy isn’t the most efficient for the problem at hand.

Over time, I’ve become increasingly convinced that we need to help children replace “should” with “could”.

Mathematical fluency isn’t about speed or superficial recall. It’s about having a toolkit of strategies and connected facts, and knowing when to use them. Game-based learning theory (1) highlights that when children are encouraged to choose their own approach, based on understanding rather than procedure, they build stronger number sense and confidence.

Take £5.00 – £3.99. A mathematically fluent child might say, “Well, it’s 1p to £4, then another £1 to £5, so £1.01.” That’s efficient. But my Year 5 pupil, Ashleigh, would regularly reach straight for column subtraction to work out this type of calculation. It worked, but it took time, involved unnecessary regrouping, and showed how her number sense hadn’t yet caught up with the calculation. Crucially, she didn’t feel she could try a mental or informal method - she thought she should use the written one.

Over-reliance on formal methods - even when they’re inefficient - can signal a lack of confidence in choosing. Written algorithms are important, but they’re just one part of a flexible toolkit (2).

Our role isn’t to push a single ‘correct’ method. It’s to equip children with options - and give them permission to choose. By encouraging discussion, comparing strategies, and highlighting efficiency, we shift the narrative. Children begin to ask: “What could I try here?” rather than, “What should I be doing?”

And in that shift, we help them become not just accurate calculators, but empowered mathematicians.

(1) GameTrain Learning. (2025). Motivation in game-based learning. GameTrain Learning. https://gametrainlearning.org/articles/motivation-game-based-learning/

(2) Threlfall, J. (2002). Flexible mental calculations. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 50(1), 29–47. https://doi.org/10.2307/3483050