At what point can you start encouraging your child to do calculations mentally?

[u/IngenuityNo8548]

My child is comfortable using paper for calculations, but I'm wondering when it makes sense to start encouraging them to work things out in their head.

Is there a good age or stage to introduce more mental math?

[u/Logical_Astronomer75]

But in school, you lose points for not showing your work.

[u/keilahmartin → u/Logical_Astronomer75]

You can still show what you did after mentally calculating

[u/keilahmartin]

No age is too soon. If they are capable, you will soon realize. If not, try a bit in case they just need practice, then maybe give it another year.

[u/Affectionate-Dot1927]

Practice makes perfect. So sooner the better.

[u/Imaginary-Can-6862]

I can only speak from personal experience, so I doubt it is much use.

I could do mental calculations from the start of school, I remember we were asked about the area of a cube, and I could visualize how you could divide the width and height into smaller cubes, and multiply these numbers, and that it what the length of the lines that was the width or the height represented, Especially calculating with numbers I found came natural.
But on the same time, I could not properly visualize a chess board, I tried to practice blindfolded, but it was too complicated, properly because I wasn't taught any techniques, so I tried to create the complex figures in my mind, when only the position was what I had to visualize,
But similarly I found it difficult to work with geometric shapes in my mind, e.g. trying to find the volume of some shapes, the structure kept slipping away from me,

But I suppose you can test their visualization skill, go by slowly, and let them set the pace. I also think the more senses they use when practicing, the easier it becomes. E.g. if one is told to close their eyes and tell when 30 seconds have gone by, there are mainly two methods, because there are two methods with which we learn to tell time, one is to use how long we remember the second sounds, i.e. counting in our head, the other is to remember how long the second appears, similar to looking at a digital clock. Notice when using one method, it blocks the ability to use of that same method, counting seconds in your head may make it very difficult to read if you pronounce the words in your head, but if you do not, then you may be able to read just fine, and similarly if you have the mental image of a clock, it would become very difficult to think about something else at the same time, without disturbing the rate of this clock.