Math facts help!

[claire+3]

Does anyone else's child STRUGGLE with memorizing math facts? What have you found to be helpful? Also I feel like this is a stupid question, but how does one drill flash cards effectively? In Horizons it says to drill the cards with the answers showing first. We did that first but DD8 just read the cards (slumped over with eyes rolled); they did not seem to be sinking in at all. I don't think she is a visual learner. Now we are on to drilling without the answers but it is so slow and painful. DD counts in her head or on her fingers and it takes FOREVER to get through the deck.

Just keep going? Is there a better way?

Thanks,

Claire

[Mandamom]

Once you are sure she understands the concepts of addition she should be ready to learn her facts. If there are any doubts go back over the concepts to make sure the understanding is there.

 

How many cards are you doing at a time? I would start with 5 (or whatever number you think she might be comfortable with) at a time and make sure she has those down first. Go through the flashcards a few times a day (hopefully taking less than 2 minutes each time).

 

Once she is pretty comfortable with those 5 I would require that she solve them on paper. (Some of my students can do great with flashcards but you add in the writing down the answer and they struggle). On the worksheet only have those problems that she has mastered on the flashcards. (just use notebook paper and write down the problems in varying order).

 

As she progresses through learning her facts (remember a few new ones at a time) keep the old ones in on cards and on paper so that she is still practicing the ones she already knows.

 

We always start with doubles (2+2=5, 3+3=6, etc.) and then doubles plus one (4+3=7) doubles plus 2 and so on. You can get some worksheets from mathusee.com worksheet generator and use those as a guide for progression.

[purplemama]

If your daughter is not a visual learner, she more than likely needs to repeat the tables she needs to memorize OUT LOUD. She needs to hear them. So, I would suggest having a times table, or whatever facts she needs to memorize, on a page, and then have her read down the list and actually say out loud two times one equals two, two times two equals four, and so on. This is how we learned math fact in school, and it worked. We memorize Bible verses, Latin grammar, and anything else we memorize by verbal repetition. Seeing it and hearing it at the same time cement it in the brain.

 

Jennifer

[Lovedtodeath]

Abeka is working very well for us for addition and subtraction facts.

 

Addition Made Easy, MUS, and Horizons flopped.

 

If addition and subtraction is what you are struggling with, let me know and I will give you some ideas.

[claire+3]

Thank you all for your suggestions. Mandamom, that is very helpful. I am going to try just five at a time until they are memorized.

Also, she is definitely more of an auditory learner. I will have her say them out loud.

She is struggling specifically with addition and subtraction: 3's, 4's, 7's and 8's. She has her doubles and 9's down pretty well.

Thanks again for all of your help.

Claire

[dangermom]

You could also think about having her do some sort of physical activity while she calls out the facts. My little girl loves to jump on a mini-trampoline and call them out. (I say "5+4" and she answers "5+4=9!")

[abbeyej]

As far as using flash cards goes...

 

Don't start with a whole deck. Start with five cards. If it were my child, I would demand that she sit up straight, look at me/the cards, and speak clearly, or there would be consequences. I simply consider it to be rude to me and disrespectful of my time for a child to do anything less (even if they hate what we're doing or consider it to be "stupid" -- they can treat me with respect for five minutes).

 

Okay, so she sits up, speaks clearly (or has a time-out or appropriate consequence until she will do her best), and she does 5 cards. If she has to count up the answer and doesn't know it immediately, have her repeat the problem. (So, "2 plus 4 is.... .... uh .... six", "Yes, good, 2 plus 4 is 6. Now you say it again." "2 plus 4 is 6." "Good. One more time!" "2 plus 4 is 6.") You remain patient and upbeat the whole time. Don't worry if it takes her a little time to count up the answers. Go all the way through all five cards. Twice. Then she's done.

 

Thank her for her hard work, and let her move on to the next thing.

 

The next day, do the five cards again. If she counts or delays on any of them, do as above.

 

The day that she gets them all quickly, the first time, pick out three more cards to add to the deck the next day.

 

Start the next day with the three new cards. Give her time, have her repeat the answers, and once she has them, mix them into the original deck of five and go through all of the cards (twice, if you have time -- you want the whole thing to last less than 5 minutes though, assuming she's being basically cooperative).

 

When she can do all 8 without struggling, add three more.

 

You want her to have *success*. A whole deck is wildly overwhelming, and there's no reason she would remember a particular card from one day to the next. But 5 cards is doable. When she can do those five comfortably, without stopping, then she can handle the challenge of a few more. But add to the challenge only a little at a time, so that she maintains a level of success and is working towards *mastery*.

Edited May 17, 2009 by abbeyej

[Mallory]

I've had good luck with posting 2 or 3 families in front of the toilet.

 

They can't help but read them several times a day!

[Ray]

Here is a card game book I liked, good general purpose teaching tidbits too.

 

http://www.worldscibooks.com/general/6323.html

[Brindee]

You could also think about having her do some sort of physical activity while she calls out the facts. My little girl loves to jump on a mini-trampoline and call them out. (I say "5+4" and she answers "5+4=9!")

:iagree: This is what I was going to suggest--mini tramp, jumprope, hopsctoch, jumping jacks, hopping on one foot, clapping. These can all help!

 

Another thing I did with my dd was use dice. She'd throw two dice, and and the two numbers that came up, or subtract the smaller number from the bigger number. Dice only go up to 6 so that wasn't too hard. We found dice that had higher numbers after awhile and used those. Then we'd play a challenge game--one of us would throw the dice and see who could be the first one to yell out the answer! It got to be pretty funny sometimes! :D It made learning the facts fun! We ended up doing that with multiplication as well (multiplying the two numbers).

 

Oh, we got to the point in addition where we were throwing 4 dice at a time, which was FUN!:001_smile:

[In The Great White North]

Have you done skip counting? Particularly with bean bags, a jump rope or trampoline? That will seriously speed up the "counting on her fingers" and help with factoring later.

 

After skip -counting ad nauseum, we went to oral math facts, in the car, for M&Ms. Candy in our house back then was rare enough that they sat up and paid attention. No slumping or glazed over eyes! We seemed to spend enough time in the car that we never did do them at home.