Practice makes perfect - doesn't it?

“Practice makes perfect!”

This commonplace idiom means that if you practise something enough, you will eventually be able to do it perfectly. 

As a teacher, it is a saying that I have used in the past to encourage children to learn key mathematical skills like counting forwards and backwards in 1s from any starting number, learning number bonds to 10, or recalling rapidly multiplication facts.

Quick and efficient recall of facts and procedures is an important part of becoming a fluent mathematician.

But we need to remember, it is only a part.