amyc78 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 One of my goals for the summer is for my kids to get their math facts down- addition and subtraction for the younger, and multiplication for the older... What is the best, simplest, hands-off-for-Mom way you have helped your kids get these mastered? They understand the concepts and can get the answers but not as quickly as I would like. We know all our skip counting backwards and forwards. We have flashcards but haven't really utilized them consistently. We also have a Math Facts app (Quick Math) that we use but also not as consistently as we should... Haven't been able to find any good songs to help. Times Tales was a total flop. Should I just continue with the app but more consistently? Have them study and recite the flashcards? Any great tools out there that have worked for your kids? Help please!!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Learning Wrap-Ups might work for yours. Keep them at the table at have the kids practice before dinner. You can also play War. Remove the J,Q,Ks from the deck and instead of highest number winning, the first one who can give the sum or the product gets the win. And if your kids are artsy at all, Thetoymaker.com has free math toys to print out like skip counters, thinkin' logs, multipies, and I think blank ones as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zarabellesmom Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 We use reflex math. It tracks which facts you know and which ones you need to work on. It lets the student know when they have completed enough practice for the day by turning on a green light in the upper corner of the screen. It is game based which you would think kids would enjoy and at first my kids did, but I'm not going to lie to you--timed fact drill is still timed fact drill no matter how you cut it. I haven't found anything more effective and I feel like I've tried the all. Xtra math, Quick Math, Times Tales, TimezAttack. I would say that you really need to be consistent with it for it to be effective. The only days we skip are the weekends. My oldest has finally, finally, finally mastered her multiplication facts(did I mention that we tried everything) and I'm still going to make her use reflex math over the summer because I'm tired of the summer math fact brain dump. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyc78 Posted March 31, 2016 Author Share Posted March 31, 2016 We use reflex math. It tracks which facts you know and which ones you need to work on. It lets the student know when they have completed enough practice for the day by turning on a green light in the upper corner of the screen. It is game based which you would think kids would enjoy and at first my kids did, but I'm not going to lie to you--timed fact drill is still timed fact drill no matter how you cut it. I haven't found anything more effective and I feel like I've tried the all. Xtra math, Quick Math, Times Tales, TimezAttack. I would say that you really need to be consistent with it for it to be effective. The only days we skip are the weekends. My oldest has finally, finally, finally mastered her multiplication facts(did I mention that we tried everything) and I'm still going to make her use reflex math over the summer because I'm tired of the summer math fact brain dump. Is this an app or on the computer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roseto27 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Our Times Tales DVDs arrived on Monday. I was pretty iffy about the $30, tbh. I cannot tell you just how much I love them! My 7 yo now knows all of the times tables that I've introduced so far and I am thrilled with his rapid progress. It was well worth the $30 IMO. The only problem that I can see with you using this program is that you're going to need another goal for the summer for your older kids! It won't take more than a couple weeks! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zarabellesmom Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Is this an app or on the computer? Either. We have used it on the computer and the iPad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genny Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 We used Reflex math for both kids. I also had them play on sumdog...free online...not sure if it systematically goes over the facts but the kids enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genny Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 There's also xtramath. Math fact practice but really boring...my kids hated it and begged not to do it. Every kid is different though. It is free so you could always try it and see what your kids think. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 The key is consistency, because it is memory work. Flash cards worked here, along with an ancient game called Math Blaster. Some kids like to fill in a little chart thst keeps track of their practice time. Also, I have heard using facts for copyworkcan help solidify them. Sounds boring to me, but whatever it takes to get them in those little noggins! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 The key is consistency, :iagree: We used Reflex for a year, and now we use flashcards. Both have helped a lot, but the main thing is that they are done every. single. day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pamela722 Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 Reflex all the way for us. Worth every penny. My son has only been using it for 5 weeks and he is 98% fluent in multiplication and division. My daughter is nearly 70% fluent in addition and subtraction. You only need 20 mins a day but my son is sometimes on it for 40, lol. He loves the challenging games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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