Ahhh math facts… the age old computation skill that most children find repetitive, difficult and down-right boring. Let’s face it, memorizing our times tables is something we all have to learn how to do, but that doesn’t make it easy! Rote memorization is not only difficult for many students, but also being required to show mastery in a timed setting often leads to stress and testing anxiety. However, quick computation skills and mastery of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division basic facts is key to your child and their ability to confidently comprehend and manipulate more complex math concepts such as word problems, area and perimeter, algebra, and many more. So, how can we help our children to start gaining confidence in their basic math computation skills? Here are five tips and tricks to help get the ball rolling:
1. Flashcards: Flashcards are one of the most simple, effective, and convenient ways to help memorize and learn math facts. All you need are some notecards and a pencil. Have your child write down each fact they are working on with the equation on one side and the answer on the other. Make sure to write equations both ways (for example, 3+4 and 4+3). Visual representations of numbers can be included if beneficial. Run through these cards multiple times a day. A good time might be in the car on the way to school, during breakfast, or even right before bed!
2. Flashcards not cutting it for you? It’s time for some reinforcement… cue the electronics. There are some incredible apps and games out there to help learn math facts, and let’s face it, digital learning is almost natural for kids nowadays. A free flashcard based app called My Math Flash Cards can be downloaded on the iPad. There are also apps that make learning math facts into a game such as Rocket Math which can be downloaded on both IOS and ANDROID. A few other great apps are Duck on the Run, Math Racer, and Smartick. Try multiple options and see which ones work best for your child!
3. Incorporate physical movement to keep math facts engaging. Try this game called “Answer Races”. Stand on one side of the room and read the problem aloud for your child. Then they have to run to the other side of the room and write the answer down on a large piece of paper and run back to you! Adding some physical movement will instantly make math facts more fun and bearable for everyone involved!
4. Try a new math facts game: There are tons of games to help with basic math skills. One of the most simple ones is to roll dice and either add, subtract, multiply or divide the numbers on them (depending on which operation your child might be working on). You can even purchase special math dice sets. Math Bingo is another cost effective, simple and fun way to help learn math facts.
5. Change it up: sometimes the smallest thing can make something more appealing to kids. Instead of having your child use a pencil, try giving them markers, colored pens, or even a whiteboard to write down their facts. Another option is to help them practice their facts orally. Often, it can be hard for a kid to focus on a timed test and get their numbers written down quickly even if they know their facts well. Practice orally saying the facts in a timed environment to gauge how well they know their facts.
Written by: Laine J.