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Maths that children can read and explore

A child should be able to concentrate on the maths, rather than struggle to read the question. Braille, a tactile diagram, large print or a clearly structured digital book can offer different ways into the same activity. Start with the format your child already uses at school, and involve their teacher, special educator or resource teacher when introducing something new.

Check the braille code first

These files use uncontracted Unified English Braille (UEB). Ask your child's teacher whether this is the code your child's school uses. The language of a book and the braille code used to represent it are different matters. An English resource is not automatically suitable for every English-medium classroom or braille reader.

Hindi and the other Indian languages use Bharati Braille, adopted as a single national standard in 1951. These files are in English braille; Beequation's Hindi site has its own braille page for Hindi readers.

The files are computer-produced resources, not specialist-proofread teaching materials. Before giving one to a child, ask a competent braille reader or teacher to check the wording, mathematical signs, number notation and reading order. Do not assume that a familiar print symbol will be represented in the way the child has been taught.

Choosing an accessible format

Braille-ready files

A BRF file is intended for compatible braille equipment. Your child's teacher can help check whether it works with the available braille display or embosser. Line length, page length and the device's settings can affect the result. Read back the first page after producing it, including any answers, rather than relying only on how the file looks on a computer.

Unicode braille

Unicode braille represents braille cells as digital characters. It can be useful for inspection or compatible software, but an ordinary printed page of these characters is not tactile braille. Seeing a pattern of dots on a screen does not establish that a child can read it through touch.

Tactile diagrams

A tactile PDF may use patterns and labels to distinguish parts of a diagram. Printing it on ordinary paper does not make the diagram raised. Use the production method agreed with the teacher, check the output at the intended size and make sure lines, labels and spaces can be distinguished through touch.

For a honeycomb puzzle, agree a fixed order for reading its cells. Let the child explore the arrangement before asking them to calculate. If the diagram is unfamiliar, give the numbers as an ordered list first. The maths stays the same: find the one number that is the sum (or the product) of two of the others.

Accessible digital reading

An EPUB can offer a linear reading route through questions, calculation descriptions and answers. Use the reader and accessibility settings familiar to the child. Test that the question and answer remain separate, that mathematical expressions make sense when read aloud, and that navigation does not reveal the answer too early.

Worksheets (EPUB 3) (22 KB)

Keep access and mathematical difficulty separate

Difficulty reading a layout does not tell you how much maths a child understands. Offer the same idea through another route before simplifying it. For example, place seven familiar counters in one group and three in another. Ask the child to find the total by touch, then discuss how 7 + 3 makes 10.

For a child working on number bonds, arrange ten objects in a stable tray and separate them into two groups. Count each group without moving the objects unnecessarily. For multiplication, use equal groups that the child can explore independently. Give time to locate, count and check; do not treat exploration time as slow calculation.

Ask what would help: a list instead of a diagram, fewer items on a page, a stable arrangement, an oral explanation or a familiar object. Avoid adding extra spoken instructions while the child is still reading. Allow them to finish, then discuss the maths.

Where to ask for further guidance

Your child's special educator or resource teacher is the best first person to ask. The National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (NIEPVD) in Dehradun provides information about its Central Braille Press (opens in a new tab) and Sugamya Pustakalaya (opens in a new tab). These are starting points for finding specialist resources; they are not an endorsement of Beequation's files.

For other reading options, see the worksheet formats and teachers' puzzle pack. If a Beequation resource is not accessible in the form you need, tell us through support, describing the format and difficulty without sharing a child's personal information.

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