Last Updated on January 13, 2025 by Sarah McCubbin
If you have a child who is a hands-on learner, its hard to express how critical it is for them to have fun hands on learning experiences.
Kinesthetic learners depend on hands-on experiences to process information and make sense of their subject matter. When it is missing, all the lectures and workbook pages sound a lot like Charlie Brown’s teacher, “Wah, Wah, Wah.”
Your lips can be moving…the curriculum can be top notch but they will NOT UNDERSTAND without this critical need being addressed.
If your own education was in a public or private school, you very likely had lessons taught that included a variety of learning styles at some point over the years. But homeschoolers sometimes struggle to find that balance. After all, mom can only be in one place at a time, helping with one lesson at a time. It’s impossible to do all the things…all the time.
CTCMath: Our Favorite Online Math Curriculum

** This is a sponsored post. I received this product or compensation for review purposes only and was compensated for my time. I was not asked nor required to share a positive review; all opinions are my own. READ DISCLAIMER HERE for more information.
So where is that balance?
Traditional math curriculum, both workbook style and online lessons heavily rely on students being visual or auditory learners. It’s not a criticism…it’s just the way it is. Many students can learn well through one of those mediums.
Table of Contents
Hands On Learners Are Often Frustrated With Traditional Math Curriculum
Come see a day in the life of a homeschool mom with a hands-on learner. After rolling out of bed, slugging back a cup of coffee or three and getting ready for the day, you pull out the math books. “John” your very busy learner rolls out of bed, eats breakfast and eventually you coral him to sit down at the table with his math.
After getting his sibling started, you step out of the room to start a load of laundry. And when you get back, John is gone…he is no where. Eventually you find him in his room playing with action figures and you yell at him to get back in there and start his work. This process goes on all day…John disappears. He is outside swinging sticks, or watching TV…or playing with Lego’s.
Rinse wash repeat. This is exhausting. And then you sit down and scroll through social media and see “other” moms whose gets are sitting at the table with workbooks and a globe. Why can’t you have THAT kid?
6 Benefits of CTC Math For Students With Dyslexia
We’ve all been there.
But let’s think about the busy child for a minute. If “John” is a hands-on learner, you just put a workbook in front of him that may as well be written in French. It MAKES NO SENSE! “John” translates the world through his hands. He needs to hold, do and manipulate physical objects to process information.
Words on a page or lessons on a screen go in one ear and out the other.
What is a busy mom with houseful of young children supposed to do if you don’t have time to sit with your busy child CONSTANTLY and help them stay engaged and have that hands-on education?

Using CTCMath’s Online Curriculum With Hands-On Learners
Hands-on learners need their lessons served up a little differently than visual or auditory learners. And this is why I love CTC Math for helping kids who learn differently.
We all want our kids to have practical skills they will actually use…but let’s face it…sometimes figuring out how to wrangle the kids and sit down to learn can feel like an insurmountable task.
Here is what we love about CTCMath.
1. CTC Math lessons are SHORT. That means the audio/visual portion is usually 3-5 minutes long. This is great for kids who don’t love that style of learning.
2. Many lessons have built in visuals that help hand’s on learners visualize objects when they don’t have physical objects.
3. In elementary school, CTC Math teaches students how to use their hands as manipulatives…beyond counting on fingers for basic addition!
4. Can easily be paired with a basket of simple manipulatives to help hands-on learners become independent with their new skills.

Frustrated Students Don’t Learn
How many math curriculums would we have to try to find one that would work for Bob? He was only in 2nd grade the buckets of tears over math were getting old….like really old. We tried simple worksheets and colorful workbooks. We tried flash cards and gamified math. Nothing was working.
I started to wonder if he had something like dyslexia for math (turns out that is called dyscalculia). He could add simple numbers but would turn into a puddle if we tried to reverse them into simple subtraction…or reverse them to make a variation on the original addition problem.
We were stuck. As two college-educated parents, we were hitting a brick wall…we had no idea how to help him.
Solution for Our Hand’s On Learner = CTC Math + THIS!
In 2022, I saw families raving about CTC Math. We were desperate. I had already tried a handful of curriculum with Bob and he would become overwhelmed SO quickly that we never got to really try them out well. I decided to try it out…fingers crossed that this would be the one for him.
And the changes we saw were dramatic…not perfect…but so much better almost overnight!
CTC Math reduced the overwhelm immediately. The lessons were short…and the math practice was only 1 problem at a time…not a whole page!
BUT…it didn’t solve the entire problem.
Bob wasn’t as overwhelmed, but he was struggling to translate some of the math ideas into concepts he understood. He couldn’t figure out what they looked like in real life.
He loved the CTC Math problems that taught him how to use his fingers for more than basic addition. But you only have 10 fingers…so it still had limitations.
That all changed when we created a small basket of manipulatives he could use as needed. Over time that has grown as his younger sister joined in. She doesn’t struggle with math…but she is very hands-on and LOVES manipulatives.

Our Math Basket Includes:
- Math counting cubes
- A clock
- An abacus
- Play money
We don’t use our math manipulatives every day, but as soon as someone starts to struggle, we pull them out. Often, it only takes a few minutes for that new concept to click. The learning process for both of my younger kids has become so much easier. My child who used to cry all the time walks around the house making up random math problems.
CTC Math has broken the big concepts down and allowed him to gain a deeper understanding and practical experience with short lessons and the addition of hands-on manipulatives. There are many awesome ways to do project-based learning, but at this stage of life, I want my kids core curriculum to be easy for me to use and not add a lot of extra work on my plate. And we have found that perfect combination with CTC Math.
Teaching hands-on learners doesn’t have to mean abandoning online tools like CTCMath. By combining its innovative digital platform with hands-on activities, experiential learning, and real-world applications, you can create a well-rounded learning experience tailored to each child’s needs. Whether through group activities, physical materials, or active learning methods, CTCMath provides endless opportunities to engage students in meaningful ways.
If you have a hands on learner, check out a free trial of CTCMath and see if you child enjoys it as much as mine did!
FAQs
1. How can I use hands-on activities with CTCMath?
Pair online lessons with manipulatives like base ten blocks, counting beads, or fraction tiles to enhance understanding and skill development.
2. What are the benefits of hands-on learning for young students?
Hands-on learning encourages active engagement, fine motor skills, and problem-solving abilities, offering a more meaningful way to grasp abstract concepts.
3. How can CTCMath support group work and social skills?
CTCMath assignments can be adapted for collaborative tasks that involve communication skills, teamwork, and real-world problem-solving scenarios.
4. What’s the best way to balance screen time with physical activities?
Incorporate printable worksheets, science experiments, and movement-based games to ensure active participation and minimize screen fatigue.
5. Can hands-on methods work for high school students?
Absolutely! High school students can benefit from hands-on projects like budgeting exercises, building models, and conducting experiments to reinforce math concepts in practical ways.

Sarah McCubbin and her husband and 9 kids live in Ohio. She loves talking about all kinds of education topics and is passionate about helping families find the best education options in each season! Socially awkward growing up, she loves to help families teach life skills, social skills and leadership.
More Reading: