Jump to content

Menu

Need suggestions for my 8yo who cannot retain his addition/subtraction facts.


carlyincali
 Share

Recommended Posts

Well, timez attack has an addition and subtraction game. BUT! It moves fast and requires the student to be able to type quickly. My son was totally overwhelmed by needing to both figure out the answer and type it in. He couldn't do either fast enough to actually play the game. He had an epic meltdown.

 

But, if a kid is familiar with the keyboard he might be able to play it effectively. We had very good luck with Timez attack helping my older son become fluent with his multiplication tables. It was like math magic! But, he was older and had some experience with a keyboard.

 

So, if your son is used to playing computer games and can pick out numbers on the number pad/keyboard he might like it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just purchased the flashmaster for my boys for this very thing and they are loving it. It is very nice and has so much potential to grow with them.

I am also looking at something from homeschoolcoop that is an online thing. I think it is called fast facts, I did the sample and it looked good to me, I may get that also. But for now this flashmaster is working wonders.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been doing some addition facts with my DD but found she learns better and applies herself to them when she doesn't think it is school - so taking a walk around the neighbourhood and adding the digits of two digit houses we pass works well (and this may also be because she can associate the fact with something about the house we just walked past - like 3+6=9 would be the house which has a lot of dogs in it etc) as would adding numberplate numbers (at least the first two digits initially) We also played a game where she rode her motorbike around the swimming pool and I played toll keeper - when she got to me I told her how many fingers to raise and she had to tell me how many fingers she had kept down and that way she learnt all her facts of 10 in less than a half hour as she had to be quick if she wanted to ride off. Try and make it fun and less flashcard/school like. My DD learns best when active though which is why this works for us - what type of learner is your child?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Times Attack has addition and subtraction to a certain level. They are working on the full deal and it should be ready soon though. It's helped my oldest a great deal with his facts but he was older when he started and had some typing under his belt too. They have a free edition you can use to see if it works out for you.

 

Don't give up. My son is 13 and just now learning his division facts. He just couldn't master the addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts though. That is until we started Times Attack. If you decide you want to buy Times Attack there are codes for so much off. Do a search for them or PM me and I can give you a few to try.

 

HTH!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Keep going, be patient and don't panic!

 

My 9yo didn't appear to be able to retain anything until recently. I actually had a huge stress out about him not having the facts down pat. I spent hours trying to figure out what to do with him. And now, all of a sudden, things seem to have started sticking in his brain.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We played many, many games of Zeus on the Loose.

 

We also played a lot of math facts Bingo.

 

I was really happy with the Xtramath site, but it quit working for us. The game would go on forever, and never give a score. I emailed them and said said something about glitches. I hope it works again for us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mastering Mathematics. It is what finally worked for our DS1. "The Fun Way" didn't work. Flashcards didn't work. Dreambox, Math Whizz, IXL, going all manipulative, letting him look them up, using a calculator, daily recitation, math copywork.....all did not work. With Mastering Mathematics - over this spring and summer he learned all addition and subtraction and is near the end up multiplication. He's finally getting it. I started over at the very beginning with this program. It worked ! :001_smile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

There are various sites and games from the Easy Peasy Homeschool site for Math fact practice.

http://allinonehomeschool.com/math-facts-practice/

 

It does take time and he's only 8yrs old. One thing that I just started doing with my boys to practice adding numbers which they love is playing Math War with a deck of playing of cards. I only use the numbered cards and we use 2 separate decks. Each one gets a deck and they put down 2 cards at a time each and add up the total of both of their cards. The rest of the game is exactly the same. The only difference is laying 2 cards down to add up. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lots and lots of daily practice. RightStart card games are fun, Peggy Kaye's Math Games or Family Math are other options. Lots of online games help. Plenty of opportunity to use hands on manipulatives while doing math. C-rods, linking cubes, bead bars, abacus, and so on. The more the better imho. 

 

I find that keeping visual hands on aids available rather then expecting them to give all of them up too early really helps them internalize the math into a quick mental skill.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rod and Staff math lays an excellent foundation in math facts during grades 1 - 3 and then keeps them with continued timed drills. I ended up adding it to Singapore a year ago so my kids would know math facts as well as I was taught them in school: without having to think about them and quick recall. It helps having that speed in higher math.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My dyslexic 8 yo has a terrible time with fact retention - it is actually a language skill, not a math skill. (That was news to me.) TouchMath has been wonderful for him. Instead of being stalled because he can't remember his facts, we are finally moving forward because he can get the answer quickly. I make sure he gets lots of practice, and just keep swimming. HTH.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just be aware that some kids just take longer.  My kid is a math brain and I pulled my hair out for years over his memorizing the facts.  At age 9, my son was still memorizing his subtraction tables while concurrently working through AoPS Algebra.  In the end the only thing that ever worked (and I tried almost everything) was to have him do them 3 times a day 7 days a week for 3 months.  That is 21 times per week rather than just 5.  Yes, it was a pain in the neck, but it worked.

 

Ruth in NZ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My dd has stalled out on xtra math, but some math facts CDs have helped my audio learner. Also, just having her repeat the facts out loud in the context of math games helps too. 

 

I have included some math facts in her regular, daily memory work and she does some every day. Slow and steady.... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We tried a handheld game (similar to Flashmaster), flash cards, drills, Quartermile Math and about a dozen others and then we found Reflex Math.  It's been worth every penny for us.  The kids beg to play and they are retaining their facts.  If they struggle with a fact, the computer tracks it and keeps bringing that fact up, which I really like.  I also get updates via email for how the kids are doing and there is a parent area where you can check their progress.  My oldest has been slower to read and struggled in math as well and Reflex Math has been great for her. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...