My 7 yr old LOVES math. It is her favorite subject and she is good at it when she can use a manipulative of some sort be it blocks or a number line or whatever. But this child can not remember math facts at all. She only has things like 2+2 or 4+4 or 8+8 memorized. Only when it is a number plus the same number. She can not remember anything else no matter how repetitive it is. For instance we can do 8 + 7 over and over and over in a day and then if she gets to the end of the page and it is 8+7 she will use her fingers. It frustrates me! Does anyone have any tricks up their sleve? Any fun way to teach her to memorize these facts??
I want to hear on this one too. My little guy does the same thing. I am even having the problem with he will say 4+3 he will count 1234 567, not 4 567. (sorry for highjacking) Good question!!!!
First its ok to count that way. Mine did for along time and now they are doing great. All I can say is just keep doing games with them, give them little math test (worksheets)over and over and it will stick.. use m&m. or there favorite candy to play games. Teddy grahams work great too. But, hang in there ladies with time and more practices they will get it.
I agree that if you just keep up the good work and try to review through games as often as possible it will eventually click.
Mine had the same problem. He understood how addition/subtraction worked, but he wasn't able to do it in his head or do speed drills until we switched to R&S. IMO, R&S is a slower curriculum (meaning, it teaches things in 2nd or 3rd that he would do in K or 1st with Abeka or Horizons). The order really doesn't matter to me (whether he learns 2 cups = 1 pint in 1st or 3rd), and I know it's a whole lot easier to speed through a slower curriculum than to try to keep up with a fast paced one, so that's why we're sticking with. R&S is "old school" learning. It's how I was taught as a kid. There aren't a lot of bold colors and fancy pictures to distract a younger child. It's just math, plain and simple. It's also helped his handwriting in a way I can't even describe. It's great!
Ok it looks as though we just need to keep on going and one day it will click. I am teaching math the "old school" way, the way I learned it and that is working so much better than the "new math" taught in Math U See. I loved MUS at first but then it just got weird to me. lol! We will just keep plugging away and give it more time. Hey at least she loves to do math and doesn't complain!
We had a similar issue last year with my older dd at 7. This year I happened upon a book called 2 Plus 2 is Not Five. It's amazing! Both my 6 and 8 years olds are learning tips and tricks to cement facts that before they could not retain. I'll admit to learning tricks myself that I've put into place. It comes in workbook format and the kids do the pages. I made up self checking games based on her tricks for the kids to do just to keep things fresh. And we use MUS as our main math program.
Do you do timed tests? I found that that has really helped my 10 yo with multiplication. We set out a schedule of "awards" for when he finished each one so there is an incentive. I love the drills at mathdrills.com since they have a mix of worksheets and they can't memorize the order of the numbers. He still doesn't have it all down, but it is getting faster and with the math we're getting into now, he's starting to realize why he needs to know the facts fast. Good luck!
I know a trick for 4+5, 5+6, etc. You said she knows her doubles. Well, tell her that 4+5 is the same as 4+4...and one more. 7+8 is just 7+7...and one more.
We used mus at that age and it is a totally different way of learning but it WAS beneficial. My ds could not remember facts either. He's gotten much better. But the great thing is that mus teaches how to achieve the answer rather than by memorization so he will skip count it really fast in his head and have the answer. He may not be super fast but it is something he will retain forever. Don't give it. Just keep working at it and it will come.
I did oral only math with Alexis for about a month.... I think I had downloaded "Ray's Arithmetic" and that's what I went with. She couldn't do any on paper well.... but she could in her head quicker.
I have a student (I school OPKs, remember) who came to me in fourth grade and didn't know her facts. I let her use a "cheat sheet" (table on a laminated card) for working her daily problems and correcting errors (but not for speed drills or tests) until finally I took it away after about two years, and she had mastered them. It may be the long way to go about it, but it worked for her.
I never really worried about memorizing addition facts...but i have pushed the multiplication facts. The boys ps taught skip counting and I hated it. It is way too slow. (and this is coming from a woman who has been memorizing her own multiplication facts along with the children and is MUCH much slower than they) We do math games and I or dh will call out 6x7? and they just answer us to get us off their backs. lol. (we all know 6x7, because for some reason we always start with that one...even when we try not too.) I also tried to show them how I add which is kind of counting the Points on the numbers. 3 is an obvious one. and 4 (made square and open not closed like that) I think it is good for those that have used manipulatives. I was laughing because this "method" which I made up for myself as a kid (i used to get in trouble for there being little pencil dots all over my paper) is now the "big, new thing" in the local ps. I actually see the dots in my head now, I don't make the little dots with my pencil.
Another thing I do (I seriously need more coffee this morning) is print out worksheets. I have her do ALL the ones she can do on her own first, then I check it.... then I give her her chart and let her look the rest up (we are working on multiplication because it seems to have escaped her brain somehow past the 4x)
