@nprofile1q... i think that with arithmetic, a certain amount of memorization and basic practice is necessary, but after that, i wonder if "puzzle solving" and framing certain kinds of problems as puzzles might be helpful. of course, if the puzzle is too difficult many kids will turn off (like me! i don't like puzzles and it's mostly because i could never figure them out 😖 ).

have you ever considered math education as something you might try? even something like kids math tutoring at the hackerspace sometime.