How to Help Your Elementary School Child Ace Multiplication Math Problems
Help your child turn multiplication frustration into positive self-esteem. A creative, high-repetition approach will help your child ace elementary school multiplication math problems, whether she's dealing with a learning disability or not.
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Instructions
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Start with skip counting by 2s: two, four, six, eight, etc. It is fun, fast and easy. Consider starting with the 2s even if your child knows them already. Set the foundation for positive learning by engineering success. If your child has trouble, write the numbers down on a piece of paper for him to look at. Once your child masters counting by 2s, try an alternating count (you say "2," he says "4," etc.). Move on very slowly to the 10s, 5s, 4s, 6s, 7s and 8s. Learn to skip count for each number before drilling individual multiplication problems.
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Find things that your child is interested in, and relate them to multiplication. Learning will fly when your child understands why. Get creative. Example: If there are two pieces of gum per box and you have three boxes, how many pieces of gum are there? Example: If there are five Pokemon cards in a pack and you have five packs, how many cards do you have? Move on from concrete examples to pictures. For instance, show a picture of a frog. If each frog has two legs, how many legs do three frogs have? This type of problem is very important because it is abstract.
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Use manipulatives to move forward. Write out a few problems such as 3 X 2 = 6, and then use groups of pennies, jelly beans or whatever you have around to show what each problem looks like. Keep the manipulatives handy in case confusion sets in as your child starts working with worksheets or flash cards.
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Give them a hand transitioning to flash cards. For example, transition to flash cards for the 2s by writing the number 2 on his right thumb, 4 on the index finger, 6 on the middle finger, and so forth. Then work through a few cards. If he is working on 2 X 3, for example, he will quickly notice the answer 6 on the third finger.
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Create custom decks of high-repetition multiplication flash cards. Introduce only two or three math problems at a time. For example, if you are beginning to work on the 2s, create a deck with 25 to 50 cards that just repeat the first three problems: 2 X 2, 2 X 3 and 2 X 4. Work your way up to 100 problems or cards per session. You will know that you are moving at the correct pace when your child screams, "This is too easy!" Slowly add additional problems in the same series to the set. If one problem is causing a lot of trouble, create a deck with two easy problems and the tricky one. Give extra praise or a reward for getting the hard one right.
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Multiplication worksheets do wonders for in-class performance. Your child's teacher will most likely be using worksheets, not flash cards. Therefore, it is wise to get your student used to timed worksheet drills. Create custom worksheets which drill only two to three problems. If your child is feeling confident, consider timing her and then having her beat her own time. If timing makes your child upset, stop after a few tries. It means that she is not ready for it (or the sheet is too hard). The idea is to build concentration and slowly get faster.
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Take the easy way out. If your child has trouble with a worksheet in a given number series, write down the skip counting series (for example: 6, 12, 18, 24, etc.) on the worksheet and let them look at it while they do the sheet.
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Once you have completed two whole number ranges such as the 2s and the 5s, drill with flash cards and worksheets that combine both series.
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Tips & Warnings
Work on multiplication tables every day (including weekends and school holidays) for at least 10 minutes a day.
Don't go too fast. If you do, the facts will enter your child's brain, but the memory of them will not last.
Don't skip days. Each day that you work builds the brain's neurology. Skipping a day will cause knowledge gained, and time spent working hard, to be lost.
References
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