Hello HSing moms! I haven't been around much, but mostly because we've been so busy homeschooling and I'm not sitting at a computer anymore. Anyway, we're doing 4th grade (and I mean the term loosely) and we're on multiplication tables. My DD (9) can do multiplication the long way by adding the number over and over, so I know she has the concept of multiplication. I've been having her memorize her multiplication tables. First she figures out the numbers the long way, then we use flash cards to "pass" that number. For example, she passed her 0s, 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s. We memorize up to 12. She's not horrible at it, but memorizing is not something she likes, therefore it's not something that is easy for me to make her do. Math is turning into a battle. We've been homeschooling for going on 3 years now. In the past I've always worked with her likes and dislikes. She may not want to do something but I try to find a way to help her to like it. She hated writing so she dictated to me and I wrote it down for creative writing. Eventually her handwriting got easier with practice, and now she writes on her own. Some subjects we dropped and picked up later; she wasn't interested in learning about the solar system in 2nd grade but a year later she was really into it! She hated learning how to tell time so we dropped it and picked it up later and then she did wonderful. We already dropped multiplication in 3rd grade (same memorization dislike) and did measurements, general fractions and story problems. Now it's time to pick it up again--we can't move on AT ALL until we get through multiplication. I've covered every aspect of what she might not understand and it boils down to she doesn't like memorizing. It's boring. I've tried board games, internet games, songs etc. It all boils down to memorizing the table and that she has to sit down and DO before she can test her knowledge with the games. She does poorly at the games because they test how much you've memorized and how fast you can come up with the answer. I don't see how she can move on from single digit multiplication to double-digit multiplication etc. if she doesn't have the basic table down. I'm also not seeing how she can do algebra without it either. It's been a while since I've done higher math--is this correct? Won't higher math take much longer and be much harder? Ideas for memorizing? She thought the songs were dumb and we make up rhymes but she can't remember the rhymes either! We've even tried dancing because she loves to dance but that didn't help, she just stopped trying to memorize and wanted to dance. I also offer rewards for passing each number, but she's beyond trinkets and I'm not setting up giant prizes for memorizing her two times table. I've never made her memorize anything in her life except for her phone number and address. She can memorize a dance in class, a cheer in cheerleading, a tumbling pass so I know she CAN do it. Should I just be stern on the issue? She will sit down and memorize, but not without a LOT of moaning, groaning and dawdling. Your insight is appreciated!
Look up Timez Attack, it is a free downloadable game that helps kids do multiplication, it helped with my son, he actually likes to play the game for fun. Good Luck.
Which games did you try? Did you use TimezAttack yet? http://www.bigbrainz.com/ And why can't you move on? Perhaps if you move on, she'll realize how much easier the work would be if she just memorized the times tables. Some things will take her 2 seconds if she knows them, but will take all day if she doesn't.
(Funny... I didn't expect to post at the same time as someone else... at 2:45 a.m.! My little one is sick and not sleeping well.)
Most children will have a very difficult time moving forward in math if they cannot do simple multiplication without thinking. It really hinders progress, so yes - I think that memorizing basic math facts is absolutely necessary. When she gets to algebra and has to stop to figure out each simple step you will really see how important it is and how much more difficult and frustrating the lack of memorized multiplication makes her task. We used Math Wrap-ups and Calculadders to memorize math facts.
We did, and it was definitely worth it. My son struggled so with basic addition facts - now, I think that was because we constantly worked with grasping the concept. When we started multiplication, I was worn out and just let him memorize them. After he memorized them, we just did practice every day - and that is when he started understanding. Ironically, once he started grasping things I had told him, but he didn't have a context for (like commutative property), he started to "lose" a few answers/facts he'd previously memorized. I think it was just a matter of him thinking about all this information a different way. This is how we did memorization. It is a modified way a friend of my did it. We spent a week on each set (lots of practice) - her son was older, they did the entire table through 12 in one weekend. We did 1's, 10',s and 11's. (three weeks) Then we did 2's, then 3's, and 4's (three weeks) Then we did 5's (one week) Then we did 9's (one week - we used the rule of how the digits of the produce must add up to 9 to help) Then we did 6's, 7's, and 8's. Then we did 12's. And then I mentioned that anything times 0 is 0. (one minute) The theory in my friend's approach here is that there are so many common equations because of the commutative property of (2x9 is repeated in 9x2) is that, but the time they get around to 8's, they only learn two facts: 8x8 and 8x12. By the end, the "hard" ones that don't have much reference, you have only a few facts to memorize. By the time we got to 12's the only new fact was 12x12. My friend did her order like this: 1's, 2's, 3's, 4's, and 5's 10's, 11's, and 12's (she said her kids all knew how many were in a number of dozens - say, 6 doz is 72, etc. She said she thinks it's because they have chickens. We don't have chickens, we did twelves last.) 9's 6's, 7's, 8's Again, her son was older and did it in one weekend.
I had a student who just couldn't seem to memorize the times tables. We started together in the fourth grade (BTW- we school Other People's Kids) - she had been in ps before that. We used CLE, which is an incremental spiral program, which required her to use multiplication every day in at least a few problems, and there were speed drills of one minute (32 problems) which some days were multiplication, some days were other kinds of facts (like addition, subtraction, division, and calendar, temperature, measurements). I had her do her daily lesson by herself first, then if she got stuck or missed multiplication problems I let her use a multiplication table to correct errors. She used the chart for I guess two years, before I started weaning her from it. She eventually learned her multiplication, without the chart, without the boring flashcard drills. I feel I must point out that she did both 2nd and 3rd grade CLE in her fourth grade year, then 4th grade in her fifth grade year, then took sixth and seventh grade years to finish 5th and 6th grade CLE. When we started, she had been so terrified of math that she would come home from ps in third grade in tears because of it (and yet brought home B's in it!) every day, but by going back to a lower level, she was able to catch those concepts that ps had let her miss out on, and after that she was no longer panicked by math, but just took it as another challenge to conquer. I'm not saying you have to use CLE (although I really like it and recommend it to everyone!), but doing a brief daily speed drill and allowing a "cheat sheet" for awhile may work for your child as it did for this one.
It's worth it as far as time goes. It's SO MUCH QUICKER to know your facts, rather than take the time to do all the adding. You're already doing one fact-family at a time. Continue with that, but give her a timed test daily. Chart the number right and the time (teaching graphing skills at the same time, lol!). Set goals...x-number right in y-time for z-number of days in a row...and set a prize for attaining that (ie: a trip for ice cream, etc.). You can make worksheets free at http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/math/multiply/times1.shtml (BTW, you might want to check out the entire site, not just the basic facts multiplication area!)
I have been really pushing the issue here for the same reasons you mentioned. I saw how long it was taking my oldest to do her math because she didn't know the multiplication by heart. Multiplication.com has helper her a lot and I have a skip counting CD in the car that we turn on whenever we drive. We only listen to a couple songs each time, but they are slowly helping all three of my girls learn.
I just wanted to suggest that for many people, the mode of memorization makes a huge difference. It sounds like she is able to memorize things that include motion, which is not at all the same as memorizing math facts. My ds had a difficult time with multiplication tables until he could look at them on a grid (picture the 3's would be on a grid 3 wide and 10 long with the last square in each line containing 3,6,9,12, etc.....we use Math-U-See) He needed to see how they all worked together, put it to something he could say/sing orally like skip counting songs and then he got it without a problem. For him, he has to see the big picture rather than memorize the little bits individually.
Slow and steady wins the race Take the time to help her to memorize. DS is learning his and he too has trouble remembering all the tables so he is using his little sisters counting caterpillar I put up lol. It has the numbers to fifty and he stops and does the adding. At first it was all of the questions but over the past few months he is remembering more and more. I give him maybe 10 questions tops per day that he has to do. And I think you can teach the concept of multiplying double digits with a single vertically for now. Then when the tables are memorized more add double digits. Take heart you aren't alone
I think it is helpful and I am not a big memorization fan. That being said, take it slow and let her cheat(use a x's table) on some of her work. In the end, with a little work and time, she will probably memorize them anyway- it might just take longer.
My two cents: I do believe in memorizing multiplication table. Nothing os wrong to memorize, the wrong comes in only when they do not understand what is behind memorization.
My friend just made a suggestion. She was complaining of the cost of always running off worksheets for multiplication, especially if you're doing timed test. So someone suggested putting the worksheet in one of those page protectors and having the kid write on that with a white board marker. Then you can wipe them off and reuse them.
My 14 & 12 year olds both are still learning their times tables. I did try to teach them when they were younger but it didn't seem to stick. Well, now that they are in Algebra 1 and pre-algebra they are seeing first-hand what a pain it is not to know them by heart. Hence, we are doing drills daily and learning them. They are on the uppers (6-12's) Experience is the great motivator. Math takes twice as long if you have to sit there and think about the times tables!
I found this just yesterday, haven't really checked it out yet but here it is http://www.visual-learners.com/support-files/nbf-6-9-10.pdf maybe this would help.
My son is not great at memorization either but great at concepts but due to the lengthiness of doing multiplication it is better to know them than have to keep doing them out. Many kids if doing the same sheets over and over will memorize the order the answers go in before they actually memorize the tables. Not all kids, just some. Timzattack that has already been mentioned was a big hit in my house. Playing games with dice or cards as annoying as it is for me seems to work well. Looking at the patterns on a hundreds chart can make a huge difference for kids better at problem solving than memorizing. You can print off different ones or use one lamenated one but having them highlight all the multiplies of the four will show them the pattern. It is easier to remember to half the 10 times table for fives than to memorize a whole new group or to double the four tables for the 8 tables, etc. I would try one thing for awhile but when your daughters eyes glaze over try something new.
Absolutely, it is. I had to learn all my tables to 12 by the age of 6, and I've never forgotten. The same with squares up to 20. The only thing I regret is that I wasn't taught tables up to 20. It's incredibly useful as an adult to multiply together two numbers in a split second.
I think it's so worth it to have the times tables memorized. Ds learned them last year. We now use TT5 and a lot of the review goes over multiplication. That he can come up with the answer quickly in his head save us so much time. We bought Times Tales for $30, completed both parts in 2 weeks, and a year later he still remembers everything. I highly recommend it.
