Need help...child struggling w/multiplication facts

[Guest amy_mom2many]

Hi! I am hoping this is the right place for this question. Forgive me if it's not :001_smile:.

My ds (11years old and will be starting 5th grade this year) has been struggling with memorizing his multiplication facts since 3rd grade. He has always had difficulty with anything that he needs to memorize....reading and spelling have been rough, but one day the reading finally seemed to click. I've tried to not be concerned over the past couple years because I felt eventually he would get them down.

 

Today I had him right down all the facts he knows. He was able to write all the facts zeros through sixes with only about 5 facts left that he did not know. The thing is, they have to be in order for him to know them....if I ask him a random fact he doesn't know the answer. We've tried different approaches to help him remember the facts like a music cd, saying, seeing, writing, etc. I am not sure what else to try. Much of his math (Saxon) last year was multiplication and division and we stopped the lessons to solely focus on getting these facts down. I feel like he is going to be so far behind if he doesn't get them down soon! Any ideas on what might help him get these facts down once and for all? TIA!

[Ellie]

Give him a multiplication chart so he can look up what he needs to know, and call it a day. :-)

[PrairieSong]

When my oldest son was about your son's age, he had memorization problems, among other things. I had him tested (sorry, this was years ago so I don't remember the name of the test) and then he worked with a specialist for a while. One of the things she used with him was a balance board. I bought one to use at home. It looked like this, only made of wood:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Thera-Band-Rocker-Balance-Board-Theraband-H-23300-/370293015206

 

He would stand on the balance board without shoes (socks were okay) and I'd do multiplication facts with him while tossing a ball back and forth with him. It was amazing how much this helped! She gave us other learning activities to do at home.

 

Oh yes...on the flat part of our balance board, the part you stand on, is a surface like indoor/outdoor carpeting, to give it more grip. HTH!

[PrairieSong]

Give him a multiplication chart so he can look up what he needs to know, and call it a day. :-)

 

Yes, but at some point, you would want a child to have the facts memorized. I do math in my head all the time (at the grocery store, while sewing or doing another project, etc.) and would hate to have to carry around a chart or rely on a calculator.

[pfamilygal]

I give my kids a laminated chart to keep beside them while they work.

 

But they also do 15 minutes a day of Reflex Math.

[Ellie]

Yes, but at some point, you would want a child to have the facts memorized. I do math in my head all the time (at the grocery store, while sewing or doing another project, etc.) and would hate to have to carry around a chart or rely on a calculator.

Of course you keep working with him, but at this point, things will just go more smoothly if he can look up those math facts. And I would not be the least bit surprised if after looking up 7x8 several times, he actually remembers it's 56 without having to look it up.

[gingersmom]

My son loved practicing his multiplication on his math shark-

 

http://www.amazon.com/Educational-Insights-8490-MathShark/dp/B00000IRMM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344972057&sr=8-1&keywords=math+shark

 

He played it in the car all the time. It looks/feels like a game so its not really like doing math.

 

We also did math worksheets from this site everyday (they are free)-

 

http://www.math-drills.com/

[ChristusG]

DD8 has been watching the Times Tales DVD is and memorizing more than she's ever been able to before!

[KungFuPanda]

Hi! I am hoping this is the right place for this question. Forgive me if it's not :001_smile:.

My ds (11years old and will be starting 5th grade this year) has been struggling with memorizing his multiplication facts since 3rd grade. He has always had difficulty with anything that he needs to memorize....reading and spelling have been rough, but one day the reading finally seemed to click. I've tried to not be concerned over the past couple years because I felt eventually he would get them down.

 

Today I had him right down all the facts he knows. He was able to write all the facts zeros through sixes with only about 5 facts left that he did not know. The thing is, they have to be in order for him to know them....if I ask him a random fact he doesn't know the answer. We've tried different approaches to help him remember the facts like a music cd, saying, seeing, writing, etc. I am not sure what else to try. Much of his math (Saxon) last year was multiplication and division and we stopped the lessons to solely focus on getting these facts down. I feel like he is going to be so far behind if he doesn't get them down soon! Any ideas on what might help him get these facts down once and for all? TIA!

 

I fought this battle for YEARS with my teen daughter. I've decided she has dyscalculia. (My husband has the same traits and is a mathematician, but his math doesn't use numbers :glare:) She's never had trouble with any other academic area and is actually decent at problem solving. it's just the rote stuff that kills her. She transitioned to public high school last year and is doing well academically. I've officially let go of this issue. I'm confident she'll be a productive member of society.

 

My second child is disabled and has some learning delays. He's doing just fine with the facts. I don't know WHAT to tell you, but I feel your pain.

[fairfarmhand]

http://www.fun4thebrain.com has fun math games for all of those basic facts.

 

I require my kids to practice the games 20 minutes per day.

[LaxMom]

Give him a multiplication chart so he can look up what he needs to know, and call it a day. :-)

 

That's what we did. My 11yo now does the math mentally in the process of working out an algebra problem, but she needed to have a use beyond rote memorization to apply it.

[Farrar]

That's what we did. My 11yo now does the math mentally in the process of working out an algebra problem, but she needed to have a use beyond rote memorization to apply it.

 

That was like me. I didn't learn until Algebra. My kids are learning theirs now. I have been doing some drills, but we've focused much more heavily on the solving strategies like double twice for x4 or do x10 minus the number for x9 and that sort of thing.

[Guest amy_mom2many]

Thank you everyone for your ideas and links!

[justasque]

Some kids don't have great memories. That's ok. When I work with those kids, instead of having them use a chart, I have them work out the answer, each and every time we come across it in the course of doing another problem. Strategies could involve skip counting, using fingers, drawing girds of dots and counting them, working from easier problems (5 x 6 = 30, so 5 x 7 = 30 + another 5), doubling (for 2's), doubling twice (for 4's), half plus a 0 (if even) or 5 (if odd) for 5's, the special finger thing for 9's, and so on. It means you will go very, very slow for a time, but that's OK. The child is building a deeper understanding of the meaning of multiplication, and eventually they will be able to do most of the facts promptly. (Facts like 7 x 8 will take longer.) Take the time, do the work, and the rest will follow. Don't hold back on progressing to more complex problems. They will give a context in which to use the facts. Reducing fractions is particularly fruitful in this regard.

[Desert Rat]

Another fun website with math games:

 

http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/

 

This is the one our tutor recommends.