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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Times Tables



Anybody have any good tips about how to teach kids their multiplication facts?

I've got an eight year old girl right now who refuses to even try and memorize them. She keeps thinking she can use her fingers, which means she either doesn't get it or she thinks she has all the time in the world.

I think classic flash cards are the best way to go, but she is being so stubborn and won't even try to cooperate with us. The second we say it's time to do flash cards, she starts crying and blocks out everything we say.

GRRRRRRRR!

So maybe I should rephrase my question...

Anybody have any good tips about how to deal with a stubborn eight year old?

5 comments:

Lisa Henderson said...

We had a cool toy that when you pushed the button down it would reveal the answer. That helped me. Brian probably remembers it.

V and Co. said...

let the teacher deal with it.
kidding.
but not really.
my sis in law has a song that kids dance around to and it's the times tables...i'll try to see if i can get my hands on it.
she works at one of those nice too expensive for me school.

Annessa B. said...

Music! Find a cd/mp3 with the times tables put to beat...I'll see if I still have one around here. You have to relieve the anxiety (lower the affective filter in edu-speak)before she's going to be willing to try it again. Don't make a big deal about it, just start playing it when you're making dinner or whatever.

SoCal Rogers said...

Kate- I was in Kumon Math and loved it. I was able to memorize how to multiply double digit like 22 x 34. It was really fun... maybe because I was a nerd, but it really worked. I know Kumon still exists, but I bet there are other programs like it. I attribute my Great math skills to them. Now... if only they could have helped me with spelling!

Grandma Caroline said...

Oh my, she sounds like her errant grandmother, unfortuneately I see her side of it- she just doesnt get it at all and it's easier to cause a fuss than to try to do something she doesn't want or like or understand to do. I was lousey
at math because I never did learn my times tables. Take everone else's advice, it's good, and go to a teacher store to pick up some really cool ideas, that's all I did.