袋鼠数学思维挑战是针对1-12年级的一项全球大规模青少年数学活动，由澳大利亚著名数学家 Peter O’Halloran 于 1980 年发起。1991年，法国两位著名数学教育家成立正式活动组委会并在欧洲推广该项活动，为了向 Peter O’Halloran 致敬，将该活动取名为“袋鼠数学”。

不同于传统奥数强调的高难度和挑战性，袋鼠数学思维挑战宗旨是用有趣生动、接近生活的题目，激发孩子们数学学习兴趣及自信，培养学生数学思维，训练学生阅读、理解、分析和解决问题能力，适合各年级各种数学水平同学。因此，袋鼠数学思维挑战逐步风靡世界，成为全球极具影响力的青少年国际数学思维挑战， 87个国家和地区举办、每年超过630万学生参加。

The Kangaroo Maths Thinking Challenge is a large-scale global math event for young people in grades 1-12, initiated in 1980 by renowned Australian mathematician Peter O'Halloran, and named "Kangaroo Maths" in homage to Peter O'Halloran, the two leading French math educators who set up the official organizing committee in 1991 to promote the event in Europe. In 1991, two prominent French mathematics educators formed an official organizing committee to promote the event in Europe, and in tribute to Peter O'Halloran, named it "Kangaroo Maths".

Unlike the traditional Olympiad, which emphasizes the high level of difficulty and challenge, Kangaroo Math Challenge aims to stimulate children's interest and confidence in math learning by using interesting and vivid topics close to life, cultivate students' mathematical thinking, and train students' reading, comprehension, analytical and problem-solving skills, which are suitable for students of all levels in all grades and at all levels of math. As a result, the Kangaroo Math Challenge has gradually become popular around the world, and has become an influential international math challenge for young people around the globe, with 87 countries and regions organizing it and more than 6.3 million students participating in it every year.