Help! ds can't memorize math facts

[julie4]

My son who is 9 tomorrow and just completed 3rd grade at private school cannot remember any math facts.

 

We are starting homeschooling this fall so i had him take the saxon placement tests. All the problems he got wrong were simple addition/subtraction/multiplication errors. He gets the concepts & can figure out word problems. I see him counting on his fingers for single digit addition/subtraction. He memorized all these this year & passed his timed drills at school, but now seems to have forgotten them all. The last 2 weeks of school he passed his mutiplication table test, but has not retained any of that 2 weeks later.

 

Would doing 3rd grade level math again benefit him if understands the concepts but can't memorize the facts?

 

Any suggestions? We've tried flash cards, ipad games, saying them outloud.

 

I was planning on Saxon math for him. Do you think there is a curriculum that may be a better fit?

[Tree House Academy]

I think that rote memorization is just tough for some kids. My ds8 also just finished 3rd grade. If you ask him what 6+6 or 9+9 is, he can do it in a second. If you ask him 7+5, he is going to use his fingers or count up in his head 9 times out of 10. Their little brains are still just processing it all. It will come...especially if he understands the "why."

 

For Multiplication facts, we used Times Tales (http://www.triggermemorysystem.com/) on DVD. It gives the child something fun to remember the facts by rather than them just memorizing a random set of numbers that seem "boring." I was a skeptic at first, but Times Tales has really made all the difference for him in memorizing the multiplication facts.

 

Your son reminds me of my older son in memorizing something for the test in school and then not being able to recall it weeks later. He did this with spelling words. He has a photographic memory, but it is all short term. If you want stuff to cement in there, you have to go about it a different way. We do dictation instead of spelling, for instance. Just something to keep in mind as you go forward with homeschooling...

 

As for math programs..I would not go back to a 3rd grade program just because of the times tables...especially if he is still able to recall many of them. Keep working with him through the year to memorize them, but move on with math. Also, asking the hive about which program to use will get you as many different answers as there are members. LOL WE love teaching textbooks, we have used Singapore and enjoyed it as well. I didn't like Horizons math or Calvert Math. CLE math had a lot of drill and my kids cried during the lessons. Ask the next poster and they will think that SIngapore is the best and Teaching Textbooks is behind. Then ask someone else and CLE will win out with the others being sub-standard. My rule of thumb has been to go with what makes the most sense to ME as the teacher. Unfortunately, as my older son has gotten into higher math, that has changed and that is where we find ourselves now with TT. You really won't be able to tailor the program to the child until you figure out what makes him tick and how he works. I'd just stick with your plan to do Saxon and re-evaluate only when/if necessary.

 

Best of luck!!

Edited June 14, 2012 by Tree House Academy

[lisabees]

Try MEP over the summer. Level 2a. Check their scope and sequence. MEP approaches numbers and problems in a variety of ways. There is plenty of practice and my dd calls it fun! Do a forum search so you get a feel for MEP.

 

Math Mammoth also helped my dyslexic son in memorizing his fatcs. Practice, practice, practice is the key!

 

I found that many schools just don't provide enough of that necessary practice.

[Targhee]

You DS sounds like where my DD was last fall. All the little computational errors (hasty mistakes, too) drove me nuts because I could SEE she understood the concepts!

 

Would doing 3rd grade level math again benefit him if understands the concepts but can't memorize the facts?

Having done this I would say no. DD did benefit from review BUT she could have easily moved on and now we are still playing catch-up.

Any suggestions? We've tried flash cards, ipad games, saying them outloud.

It says in the beginning of the RightStart manual something to the effect of "the only people who like flash cards are the people who don't need them." Flash cards did not work for us. Video games have worked a little bit (TimezAttack, Math Evolve, Math Ninja, etc), as did math songs like School House Rock, but only through about the x5 facts, and there are still some addition holes. I decided to read a lot about learning styles and discovered that she is probably VSL. Does your DS have trouble with spelling too? DD can spell correctly in her lesson, but during review and in context it's the same - riddle with errors, often very simple, because she just doesn't memorize that way. This is what we are doing now and making some headway! (I got it when it was free). She remembers the images and stories better than the raw facts, so after 4 fact families we are batting 100! Finding out how he earns and remembers things will make finding the best way to teach him easier.

I was planning on Saxon math for him. Do you think there is a curriculum that may be a better fit?

YES! I would look at something else (depending on his learning style) like RightStart, Math-U-See, even Singapore (which is what we use after a foundation year in RS).

[shukriyya]

I second the Times Tales rec. Also two programs that have been popular (and successful) here are xtramath and Math Rider.

 

I have no experience with Saxon so can't speak to that aspect of your question. All the best on your new homeschooling journey :)

[Bloggermom]

I totally recommend Timez Attack and Math Rider.

[FLDebbie]

I wouldn't repeat the 3rd grade concepts if he gets the concepts. That will just lead to frustration and/or boredom. He is able to grasp some algebraic concepts that some of my high school students (when I taught high school math) had trouble with. I also struggled with rote memorization of math facts, but now have a master's degree in math and statistics. Don't give up hope.

 

I use xtra math with my son and it's helping him. He's just finished 2nd grade and is working on addition and subtraction. We tried Reflex Math too, but it was too busy for him and distracted him easily. When we get to multiplication I'm planning to add in Times Tales or perhaps Memory Joggers.

[Nestof3]

My almost 11 still struggles. For the last few weeks, he has used http://www.xtramath.org. It's free and fabulous!

[Element]

Don't give up hope.

...

I use xtra math with my son and it's helping him.

 

:iagree: Xtramath has been wonderful for my ds. It made a huge difference in his math fact mastery. It may take all year just to get your ds through multiplication (you have to start at addition) but it is absolutely worth the effort. Also, it's free.

 

Right now I would put the books on hold and focus on math fact mastery for a few weeks. Once you cover that, then give him the placement test.

[Heart_Mom]

We just started using Calculadder along with our regular math program. It's very incremental and my children don't mind doing it.

[fourisenough]

XtraMath, Times Tales, Calculadder, Wrap-ups...wash, rinse, repeat. Took a long time, but eventually did the job for my older girls.

[Eln]

We love xtramath, too! My 3rd grade dd just finished up using Saxon math, which I have used with our older two, and they do great with it. Not my daughter, she couldn't seem to remember concepts taught from one day to the next. :glare: So we are using Singapore 3, Miquon and XtraMath for the summer. I have high hopes that this will be the solution for her! I want to eventually try to put her back in Saxon when she's in 7th grade. You just don't know until you try! Hopefully this was helpful!

[Beth in Mint Hill]

After many years of muddling through with math, I just had to accept that my sons were not going to be math whizzes. But, especially my middle son, who could *never* get his tables memorized (don't know if it had something to do with dyslexia), but we just moved on.

I felt really bad, and even guilty sometimes.

But one of the reasons I have come back to the WTM board is that we are done with homeschooling now, and I am soooo thrilled with the way our kids turned out, especially when the middle son started Acing all of his Economic courses this past year! Including making an A in Calculus(corrected this when I found out that I was wrong here when I originally said *almost* an A-he did make one!) , and this, even though he only took Algebra I and II during our years of homeschooling. And many years ago a College algebra course before he went into the Army. I don't want this to seem like bragging, because I really was not a very successful homeschool teacher. We didn't get it all done, not even half of "it." Yet the boys seem to be doing fine. And as I look back on it the thing that was so right was simply a "lifestyle of learning and discussion."

I'll have to say this much: we did plug away at Saxon a few years (even though we were skipping lots of the problems)! LOL But then we switch to Jacob's Algebra. And we loved Calculadder!

I just had to pipe up here and give you some encouragement to "not sweat it too much." Love covers a multitude of sins; it also is the most important ingredient of homeschooling. :grouphug:

Edited April 11, 2016 by Beth in Mint Hill

[RootAnn]

:bigear: DD#2 has this issue.

 

Xtramath is really tedious. (I went through it myself +-x/.) DD#2 has done it for two weeks & so far has DECREASED her original placement score for addition.

 

Best of luck as we are fighting this battle ourselves...

[melmichigan]

We tried xtramath, Aleks math drills, flash cards, paper drills. About two weeks ago we discovered the Crewton Ramone and Education Unboxed videos from Beth in SW WA (I'd say thank you but she's on a board break) and have been doing the activites described in both with Math U See blocks. This method is working for everyone, my younger 'mathy kid' can move forward that much faster and my struggling DD is beginning to remember her math facts. She loves racing to complete the 45 addends, even my DS4 has gotten into it. I highly recommend both sites, and the best part is they are free (Crewton Ramone has some things that you buy a password for if you choose but it is cheap), just buy some c-rods or some MUS blocks and you are ready to go, you can add them to any curriculum once you understand the concepts.

Edited June 14, 2012 by melmichigan

[HomeschoolingHearts&Minds]

Don't hold him back conceptually in order to master those facts. If he understands the concepts of adding, subtracting, and multiplying, he should be able to continue and and simply practice the facts on the side.

 

At the same time, arithmetic will be hard for him without having mastered those facts, since solving problems depends on using them, so keep that in mind. ;)

 

My oldest has this same difficulty. He never ever was able to do timed drills. Calculadders freaked him out. Timed online facts drills and computer software, all made him cry. Times Tales: he could know the facts for the special Times Tales cards, but not in any other form. :glare:

 

What we have used successfully: Math-It (a friend gave me her old copy), and flash cards. Yeah, I know what they say in the Right Start manual, but our flashcards are different. I don't give him flash cards where the answer is blank, and we don't use them to quiz, only to study. My son is very visual, so if you give him a card like "7x8= ", what he sees is "7x8=?" in his head, the answer won't be there. So, all flashcards have the answer written in color, he looks at them, and forms the picture in his head and that's what he calls to mind when he needs the fact. I quiz orally or with a printed worksheet. Low tech, but this is the method that has worked for him consistently.

[Hope in God]

My almost 11 still struggles. For the last few weeks, he has used www.xtramath.org. It's free and fabulous!

 

We love xtramath as well. The best thing about it is that it is less than 10 min a day. This way the kids know that they just have to go through the daily practicel and they will be done and it gets rid of the temptation for me to add more work to speed things up. Every lesson the student gets to see thier progress.

 

I have even seen progress in my 6 year old (who has butterflies in her head).:tongue_smilie:

[Pen]

My son who is 9 tomorrow and just completed 3rd grade at private school cannot remember any math facts.

 

We are starting homeschooling this fall so i had him take the saxon placement tests. All the problems he got wrong were simple addition/subtraction/multiplication errors. He gets the concepts & can figure out word problems. I see him counting on his fingers for single digit addition/subtraction. He memorized all these this year & passed his timed drills at school, but now seems to have forgotten them all. The last 2 weeks of school he passed his mutiplication table test, but has not retained any of that 2 weeks later.

 

Would doing 3rd grade level math again benefit him if understands the concepts but can't memorize the facts?

 

Any suggestions? We've tried flash cards, ipad games, saying them outloud.

 

I was planning on Saxon math for him. Do you think there is a curriculum that may be a better fit?

 

In general I don't think redoing a year is helpful for facts. But, doing Beast Academy or something fairly fun like that over the summer might help and not put him "behind". Or math games might help. We are on a summer review plus fractions time here. So far so good.

 

I did not care for Saxon. Our main program was MUS, we are on a break from it right now, testing out Key to fractions. I have found myself interested in posts on here about a program called Learn Math Fast, but don't think there is a lot of experience with that as yet. A lot of people like Singapore math and its relatives.

[swiegers]

My ds 7 is like that, she has a hard time remembering the basic facts. We practice them every day. I have her count in 5's, 10's, 100's, 2's, up and down. We recently started counting in 3's as well. Then we play the RightStart math card games. Those have really helped to cement some of the facts for her. It took some time for it to start working, but it's working now.

 

We switched to Saxon precisely for that reason as well. We did Singapore for Gr 2 and it's a great math program, but I found that she really needed to practice the same math every day, otherwise she forgets it. We've just started with Saxon 3 and the repetitive exercises everyday really helps to make it all so much easier for her.

[Nestof3]

:bigear: DD#2 has this issue.

 

Xtramath is really tedious. (I went through it myself +-x/.) DD#2 has done it for two weeks & so far has DECREASED her original placement score for addition.

 

Best of luck as we are fighting this battle ourselves...

 

It is tedious, but honestly, it doesn't allow the kids to move forward unless they have speed and accuracy. I tried it, and once the facts are known well, progression is fast.

[letsplaymath]

My son who is 9 tomorrow and just completed 3rd grade at private school cannot remember any math facts.

 

We are starting homeschooling this fall so i had him take the saxon placement tests. All the problems he got wrong were simple addition/subtraction/multiplication errors. He gets the concepts & can figure out word problems.

 

I suggest two things:

 

(1) Don't worry about the math facts for at least one more year. Adjust to homeschooling, play math games, and look for interesting things to learn. Read lots of living books about math from the library. Make the transition time as fun as possible.

 

(2) Consider using a conceptually-oriented math program like Singapore Math, Beast Academy, Right Start, or MEP. There are probably others. If your son does not memorize easily, then you don't want a program that's going to give him lots of rules and steps to memorize, but rather a program that shows him how to think through both HOW and WHY the math works.

 

Your goal at this level is NOT for your son to memorize a series of math facts and procedures, but to develop confidence in working with numbers. In fact, if parents stress fact memorization too much, we short-circuit the child’s learning process. Once children “know†an answer, they don’t bother to think about it — but it is in the “thinking about it†stage that they build a logical foundation for understanding all numbers.

 

Here is some guidance from my math blog for learning to "think about" numbers:

PUFM 1.3 Addition

 

 

Mental Math: Addition

 

PUFM 1.4 Subtraction

 

 

Tell Me a (Math) Story

 

 

How to Conquer the Times Table, Part 1

 

[Chris in VA]

Another suggestion is to use math facts as copywork. Sometimes the act of writing them out WITH the answer can help tuck them into the memory.

 

Also, try moving while memorizing--say out loud while hopping, crawling thru a tube, rolling across the carpet, running around the room. You can hang up several facts and have him run to them and touch them and run back--I don't mean quizzing him, but have him run to the fact WITH the answer, say it, touch it, run back.

[Heathermomster]

If your child knows the 1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s tables, you can teach basic multiplication facts using the area model of multiplication. You can also use c-rods and demonstrate the distributive property of multiplication. You'll need to practice add/sub facts to 20, number bonds, and mental math beforehand. Go slow and work 1 fact family till he has it down prior to moving on.

Edited June 15, 2012 by Heathermomster

[PollyOR]

My kids were guessing and memorizing the wrong answers/guesses. :glare:

 

What helped? The child keeps a math fact chart beside her while she does her math problems. If the child can't remember the fact she looks it up on the chart. After doing this over and over, the correct fact gets stuck in her head. It has worked for us better than games and drills.

 

Recently I've had my 10yo filling in a multiplication chart daily. We do this together. If she is unsure of a fact, I provide the answer. She is filling in more and more of the chart herself and needing less help from me. :)

[julie4]

. Does your DS have trouble with spelling too? DD can spell correctly in her lesson, but during review and in context it's the same - riddle with errors

 

Yes, this is ds too. He gets 100% on spelling tests but if he writes them in a paper the following week they are spelled wrong.

 

Thank you, I will check this out.

[julie4]

:iagree: Xtramath has been wonderful for my ds. It made a huge difference in his math fact mastery. It may take all year just to get your ds through multiplication (you have to start at addition) but it is absolutely worth the effort. Also, it's free.

 

Right now I would put the books on hold and focus on math fact mastery for a few weeks. Once you cover that, then give him the placement test.

 

Great advice, thank you.

[julie4]

After many years of muddling through with math, I just had to accept that my sons were not going to be math whizzes. But, especially my middle son, who could *never* get his tables memorized (don't know if it had something to do with dyslexic), but we just moved on.

 

I felt really bad, and even guilty sometimes.

 

But one of the reasons I have come back to the WTM board is that we are done with homeschooling now, and I am soooo thrilled with the way our kids turned out, especially when the middle son started Acing all of his Economic courses this past year! Including making an almost A in Calculus, (fell one point short after the Final) and this, even though he only took Algebra I and II during our years of homeschooling. And many years ago a College algebra course before he went into the Army. I don't want this to seem like bragging, because I really was not a very successful homeschool teacher. We didn't get it all done, not even half of "it." Yet the boys seem to be doing fine. And as I look back on it the thing that was so right was simply a "lifestyle of learning and discussion."

 

I'll have to say this much: we did plug away at Saxon a few years (even though we were skipping lots of the problems)! LOL But then we switch to Jacob's Algebra. And we loved Calculadder!

 

I just had to pipe up here and give you some encouragement to "not sweat it too much." Love covers a multitude of sins; it also is the most important ingredient of homeschooling. :grouphug:

 

Thanks for the encouragement! Sounds like you were a VERY successful hs teacher!;)

[lewelma]

I just had to accept that my sons were not going to be math whizzes.

 

Well, my older son is a math wizz and he could not memorize the tables. We tried everything for years, and the only thing that worked was increasing the intensity. He did the times tables 3x per day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) for 7 days a week for 3 months and finally got them.

 

I let him continue with the conceptual aspect of math while still memorizing the tables -- he was still memorizing the subtraction tables when he started algebra. Memorizing math tables does NOT equate to math skill.

 

Ruth in NZ

Edited June 15, 2012 by lewelma

[kolamum]

Have you looked at City Creek Press, they are even having a sale. We LOVE their Multiplication Times Alive! that taught us our multiplication facts easy peasy. :)

 

I'm still debating the addition one because we aren't AS quick with that. ;)

[Kelly1730]

My kids were guessing and memorizing the wrong answers/guesses. :glare:

 

What helped? The child keeps a math fact chart beside her while she does her math problems. If the child can't remember the fact she looks it up on the chart. After doing this over and over, the correct fact gets stuck in her head. It has worked for us better than games and drills.

 

 

 

I implemented this after reading it it "Teaching the Trivium". It has helped the frustration for both of us. No more, "Mom, what's 7x9?". Ugh. We continue to work on our facts with X-tra Math and games, etc. But I'm willing to allow this for awhile to see if the repetition of looking at the chart will help them "get it".

[Rosie]

I suggest two things:

 

(1) Don't worry about the math facts for at least one more year. Adjust to homeschooling, play math games, and look for interesting things to learn. Read lots of living books about math from the library. Make the transition time as fun as possible.

 

(2) Consider using a conceptually-oriented math program like Singapore Math, Beast Academy, Right Start, or MEP. There are probably others. If your son does not memorize easily, then you don't want a program that's going to give him lots of rules and steps to memorize, but rather a program that shows him how to think through both HOW and WHY the math works.

 

Your goal at this level is NOT for your son to memorize a series of math facts and procedures, but to develop confidence in working with numbers. In fact, if parents stress fact memorization too much, we short-circuit the child’s learning process. Once children “know†an answer, they don’t bother to think about it — but it is in the “thinking about it†stage that they build a logical foundation for understanding all numbers.

 

Here is some guidance from my math blog for learning to "think about" numbers:

PUFM 1.3 Addition

 

 

Mental Math: Addition

 

PUFM 1.4 Subtraction

 

 

Tell Me a (Math) Story

 

 

How to Conquer the Times Table, Part 1

 

 

 

:iagree: with this 100%!

 

Also, I would STRONGLY encourage you to teach him how to use the distributive property to figure out the answers to multiplication problems. I believe it is the best way to teach, learn, and practice multiplication. It builds a deep understanding - much more so than memorizing with a chart, flashcards, or computer games.

 

Here is a video I just made that shows how it works...

 

He will need to be able to do a bit of mental math to do this. You can find videos on that through the link in my siggy!

 

 

Also, Math Mammoth is another curriculum you might want to look into. It is similar in philosophy to Singapore but has more practice.

 

It sounds like he might be a visual-spatial learner. If so, Cuisenaire Rods or something similar would be really good to use! I wouldn't recommend Saxon for a v/s learner. I am one and that's what I was taught from in elementary/middle school. I had good memorization skills so I got good grades but I never understood what I was doing until I started teaching my daughters with Singapore and Miquon, using Cuisenaire rods and the number bonds concept. It made a world of difference!

[Nestof3]

I also have a multiplication chart in our kitchen where our son does his math. He is allowed to look at it while working because I don't want him frustrated doing long division. He's used it all year (though not much now), but he is still horribly slow at his facts -- all of them. He was thrilled when he passed the xtramath.org addition timed test, and the other day, he completed 39 subtraction problems in a row within the time limit.

 

He lost interest in TimezAttack (because he was taking the game seriously but his math facts were not strong enough).

 

Times Tales didn't stick with him.

 

I am not consistent enough with flashcards or giving him my iphone to do drill when we are out and about.

 

He has also been taking piano lessons for almost three years, and he still cannot read all his notes. :glare: He plays fine once he gets his footing. Yes, we did flashcards with him. I bought him a workbook to help him with this, and I also just received Music Ace Maestro Educator's Edition.

 

He has been a difficult one to homeschool. The other boys just memorized them like a typical child.

 

My kids were guessing and memorizing the wrong answers/guesses. :glare:

 

What helped? The child keeps a math fact chart beside her while she does her math problems. If the child can't remember the fact she looks it up on the chart. After doing this over and over, the correct fact gets stuck in her head. It has worked for us better than games and drills.

 

Recently I've had my 10yo filling in a multiplication chart daily. We do this together. If she is unsure of a fact, I provide the answer. She is filling in more and more of the chart herself and needing less help from me. :)

[lisabees]

I agree with this. Another book I'd like to mention that has been wonderful is Kitchen Table Math.

 

We tried stuff like Timez Attack and Xtra Math and they stressed my (mathy) son out to nearly tears. So I dropped the idea of having him memorize math facts at all. I'm happy to report that at 10 he has no trouble with math facts. And my 6 year old is on his way.

 

The "thinking through how" instruction has been far more beneficial.

 

Popping back in to say I agree with Wendy and Let's Play Math and Rosie. Xtra Math and flash cards etc. caused way too much stress for my kids. Also, I didn't want them to just memorize; I wanted them how to know how to manipulate numbers in their head, so that they can approach new problems with confidence.

 

MEP has been wonderful for dd because of the "thinking" part. It approaches numbers and problems in so many ways that you start making connections that were never made before.

 

Other conceptual programs mentioned do the same thing - find one that your son may like and stick with it. Best of luck. ;)

Edited June 15, 2012 by lisabees

[abbeyej]

Timez Attack *every* day made a huge difference for dd. She didn't love it (it's *hard* for her! and frustrating!), but over the course of the year (10-20 minutes a day, at least 4-5 days per week) she made tremendous progress. ... She was horrified that when she "passed" multiplication, I let her have a week off (just doing division and addition/subtraction) and then I made her start multiplication again from the beginning. But clearly that's what she needed to do. She didn't need to pass "multiplication" once -- she's going to need to continue with daily drill (in addition to conceptual math lessons each day) for a very long time.

[kalanamak]

xtramath

 

thank you thank you.

Free, free tracking, and kiddo does it while I'm a work with NO nagging.

[Writerdaddy]

probably someone already mentioned this, but reflexmath.com is very fun, very effective and is not expensive except that they only have yearly subscriptions.

 

also the rightstart math games pack looks good, though I've only seen it on youtube videos.

 

i disagree that math facts are unimportant now. not knowing them in 3rd grade makes things really tough as math demands progress. my kids were skipped up in their private school from 1st to 3rd grade math, missing 2nd, and had a real rough time.

 

One of the things that brought us to HS

[NASDAQ]

I'd do fourth grade math with Kumon.

[Lymeade Mom]

We used a program from Little Giant Steps and it really helped. I did not hold my daughter back b/c memorizing multiplication facts was hard for her. She totally understood concepts, and knew a lot of facts, so we trudged forward and kept working on facts.

 

After about 3 different programs, this one worked, though I still have her do practice to get it a tad more solid/fast--we use Quarter Mile Math for that, though MathRider looks more fun (never tried it).

 

ETA: We use MUS for our base Math program--so dd really has a good grasp on the why's extra and that helps a lot with math, but not necessarily with remembering the harder facts. :)

Edited June 21, 2012 by Lymeade Mom

[speedmom4]

This has been a great thread! My 10 year-old ds has trouble memorizing math facts. He doesn't have any problems understanding math concepts though. I have been looking for online games to help him but never came across the websites for XtraMath, Timez Attack, and MathRider. I'm really thankful that I just happened to check out the K-8 board. I normally just hang out in the General or the High School Board.

 

Now I need to find some spelling games!

 

God Bless,

Elise in NC

[boscopup]

It sounds like he might be a visual-spatial learner. If so, Cuisenaire Rods or something similar would be really good to use!

 

:iagree: My middle son is a visual thinker. I was afraid he would struggle with learning facts, BUT... I used C-rods for all of his addition/subtraction practice in K math, and he started "seeing" the number bonds when thinking. He doesn't have all of the facts memorized yet (he's only 5.5, so I don't expect it yet), but he has several memorized by getting those pictures of C-rods in his head. Pretty cool! This is a child that can sound out a word in a sentence, come to the word again in the same sentence, and he still has to sound it out. :tongue_smilie: I don't think math flash cards would have worked for him. Something like Xtramath.com would have completely terrified him (he freaks out at being timed). C-rods are the bomb.

 

I'm not sure how multiplication will go, as that is typically harder to memorize, but I do have a freebie book that someone posted a few weeks ago, plus there are things like Times Tales and the like. We'll figure something out when we get there! My older son didn't need anything for addition/subtraction, but he did need to practice multplication/division to get those down pat. We had tried Xtramath.com with him, but it drove him nuts - he'd accidentally hit the wrong number on the keyboard and it would set him back. He had trouble finding the number on the keyboard within the 3 seconds. I switched to a 5 minute printed drill for him from math-drills.com, doing just one table per day (ie, table of 5's, etc.), and that worked so much better. I just told him to skip any he didn't know and that I didn't expect him to get all 100 in the 5 minutes. He did about 60, and I went over it orally and asked him any he'd skipped. By the end, he knew the 2 or 3 that he'd skipped, because it had just been gone over and over and over in a short period of time. :D

[kalanamak]

 

Xtramath is really tedious.

 

Yes, but kiddo prefers it to me putting the drill paper out and constantly prompting him to keep working, keep working. The timer on Xtramath gets him going without me wasting my breath.

[Mommy22alyns]

Another vote for xtramath.

[Halcyon]

Another vote for xtramath. Yes, it's boring. But it's short, daily and repetitive. My older has reached the division level, finally, and his math fact retention is SO much better than it was a year ago. Younger is using Math Rider because I think the "timed" aspect of xtramath is overwhelming to him. He will graduate to xtramath in 3rd grade, but for the next year he will stay on Math Rider.