Models help promote mathematical thinking and facilitate an understanding of key concepts and mathematical structures. By seeing and moving objects, students engage their senses to better understand and reason with abstract concepts, or to make sense of and solve problems.Visual representations are a powerful way for students to access abstract math ideas. Drawing a situation, graphing lists of data, or placing numbers on a number line all help to make abstract concepts more concrete, whether done online or offline. Developing this strategy early will give students tools and ways of thinking that they can use as they advance in their learning of more abstract concepts.