Creative ideas for learning basic addition and subtraction facts?

[tld]

It seems DS is just not memorizing them....but maybe we just need more time too.  We're tired of flashcards and the Flashmaster.  Any fun ideas?  (Our curriculum is Singapore 1A.)

[musicianmom]

Following because we're also in Singapore 1A, and running into difficulty with this.

[wapiti]

Search youtube for addition fact games, e.g., Go to the Dump (from Right Start).

 

Use manipulatives - play with c-rods.

 

I would focus on learning the facts through using them (even if it means "re-calculating" every time for a while, even with manipulatives if necessary) rather than rote memorization.  Some kids are weaker in rote memorization but stronger with hands-on/visual methods; teach through strengths when possible.

 

Some people keep moving forward in math while working on facts separately, on the side so to speak.  Some kids may learn the facts in the context of more complex math problems (there's a fine line between learningn to remember a fact due to needing the fact in the moment and getting frustrated over not knowing it).

[Guest]

We play Go to the Dump, Addition/Subtraction War, What's in the Box?, and a bunch of games from Education Unboxed. We are also going through Singapore 1A and my daughter is doing great with her facts.

[Mom2TheTeam]

We use cards a lot.  We do a variation on war.  We each turn over 2 cards instead of one.  Then, we either add or subtract depending on which version we are doing (we switch during the game to get practice with both ;)).  Whoever is higher wins. 

 

We also play war to work on number recognition and higher or lower with my younger kids.  It works well.  Right now, my older son and I play addition/subtraction while my twin 5 year olds play regular next to us. 

 

Oh, we make all face cards equal 10 and the ace equal 1.  Sometimes I take out a few face cards, but often I don't.  I don't mind them being quizzed over and over and over on the 10's.  They are very important.  But, I also will use 2 decks and take all the face cards out of one and leave them in the other. :)

 

We have done similar games with dice. 

[duckens]

We do xtra math for 20 minutes each day. It's not exciting, but it gets the job done.

 

I monitor dd's progress, and although she is not always "excited" to run to the computer to complete this task, she is proud of how well she is doing.  She moans and makes faces, but then I have to tease her, "Hey!  You scored a 91!  You're in the 90s!  That's 9 points from 100!"  (100 is the top score to earn).  "And you didn't want to do xtra math today...."

 

She started at 44, and yesterday she scored a 95.  When she gets to 100, we're going for ice cream.

 

Other things to know:

Your child's score will go down before it goes up as tougher problems are introduced.  7+ 8 is harder than 2 + 2.

 

 

[Incognito]

my kids like sumdog (free online math games). 

[The Way of My People]

We also play a lot of addition/subtraction war card games. We like using the RightStart cards. My DS never wants to play subtraction war - so we recently modified the game so that we switch operations after each "war."

 

We also sometimes use flash cards. We tried Xtra math, but DS was too stressed out by the Race the Teacher aspect.

[regentrude]

cards games, have him keep score

dice games with multiple dice where he has to add

shopping with cash

[Leav97]

jumping on a trampoline - jump out the answer

put a stripe of masking tape on the living room floor and draw a number line - find the answer on the number line

roll 2 dice - find the answer

jumping jacks til you get to the answer

climb the right # of stairs to find the answer

flip over 2 cards in a deck of playing cards (just the A, 2-9) - find the answer

[Kerileanne99]

If you want a more ordered way to work on facts in a game format (board games/dominoes/cards) there is a truly fun set put together by a teacher called GiggleMath. I have a young learner that thrived with these games....they teach fact memorization but also strategies. My kiddo's favorite was 'Monkey in the Middle' to teach addition of addends like 6+8....find the 'monkey in the middle' and double it (after teaching why this works!)

Www. GiggleLearn.com

[duckens]

 

We tried Xtra math, but DS was too stressed out by the Race the Teacher aspect.

 

You can get rid of the image of Mr. C.  Look at the FAQ. 

 

Dd6 barely notices whether it is a regular drill or a test or a race.  We set a timer, and dd6 works for 20 minutes.  If she is told to log out, she knows she is to log right back in and continue until the timer goes off.

 

 

[chelsmm]

We just started xtra math and dd likes it. I have math facts written on our kitchen slider and we review them throughout the day. I have ds skip count while we play. He still needs to look at the writing on the window, but he's getting better at it.

Jump roping would be a fun way.

We use chalk and make number lines on the driveway.

Sum swamp

Gum ball math game

Monopoly jr

Concentration where the cards need to make ten

[letsplaymath]

Creative? Take turns making up math stories for each other to solve. Don't try to memorize the facts, but just use them over and over and over and over and over in contexts that have meaning to your child. These don't have to be real world stories---Star Wars, or knights and dragons, or dinosaurs, or whatever he's interested in will help him focus.

[bethben]

I am using this:  http://www.amazon.com/Addition-Fun-Way-Book-Kids/dp/1883841348/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381409170&sr=8-1&keywords=addition+the+fun+way

 

Dd has a very good visual memory.  I read her the story once, she looks at the picture, and she had the addition fact memorized.   Part of math is knowing what addition means, the other part is just memorizing the facts.  It's not "fun", but for a very visual kid, it's very effective.  The book above has some samples.  Try them out and see if your son picks them up faster.

 

Beth

[kbutton]

I don't think I saw this mentioned...http://www.educationunboxed.com/ has some games and other fun ways to do math facts with c-rods.

[Jackie]

The game Shut the Box is great for addition facts.

[Spy Car]

Singapore 1A is the wrong time to try "memorizing" math facts. Students at this juncture really need to work at their stratagies and re-calculating skills (as Wapiti mentioned above).

 

Adults may have the misimpression that jumping this skill building via memorization is a good idea, but it is not.

 

Do the spade work now. Just like one goes though the agony of phonetics rather than sitting with a stack of flash cards and memorizing words by their shapes, so one needs to work on basic re-grouping skills now (because what's to come in Primary Mathematics is built on mastering re-grouping, and not on memorizing).

 

Take the time to learn this the right way. Do not settle for the illusion of false competence that comes with memorization alone.

 

If there are ways to make the re-grouping exercise more fun, like playing games, go for it. But don't get sucked into thinking memorizing math facts is the way to learn math. Instead keep working those number bonds, and get the child really good at manipulating numbers. This is the skill that needs to be cultivated. It is the skill that "scales" as numbers become increasingly large (and too long to memorize). Do the grunt work. The grunt work pays off.

 

Bill