Does your child know the multiplication tables?
This is a really important question to ask yourself. After tutoring many children over the years, I have found that children who know the multiplication tables do better then children who do not know them. In this day with technology, there are calculators and apps that can do the math for you. I understand this is a great help in getting things done quicker, but it does not help your children understand the basics. Many children don’t do well in math because the basics are not there. One of those basics is multiplication. If you want your child to improve their math grade, have them learn the multiplication tables. Below are three ways to help your child learn them.
Timed Multiplication Drill worksheets
I loved timed multiplication drills in schools. This is a competitive, fun way to make your child learn the multiplication tables. This is a worksheet with 60-100 multiplication facts to fill out. The student is giving a time of a minute to 3 minutes (You can pick the time depending on the age of the child. In 6th grade I had one minute) to fill out as many as you can. After the time is up the student with the most answers right gets a prize. For homeschooling parents, have the child aim to get more right then the time before. Set up goals and prizes to motivate learning the multiplication tables. Also for homeschooling parents have your children do this together. Older children and younger children together is a great way to help the younger children learn and for the older children to stay current. Click below for the multiplication drill worksheet.
Multiplication Drill Worksheet
Flash Cards
Flash cards are a great way to learn the multiplication tables. If you don’t want to buy any you can make them your self or print out the cards below. If you print them glue the facts on one side and the answer on the back. Have them go through the flash cards once. Create two piles of cards when they go through them. One stack for the facts they get and the other stacks for facts they don’t get. Have them study the cards they did not get for a few minutes and repeat the above process with just the facts they did not get. If there is still facts they don’t get the second time have them repeat the process until all the cards are learned. Then at the very end have them go through all the cards again. Any cards they do not get, have them write out the multiplication facts for homework. Click below for the printable multiplication note cards.
Saying them out loud
Every night before bed, have your child say the multiplication facts they have a hard time with, out loud. Have them do the list a couple times. The multiplication facts will be on their minds while sleeping and will have a lasting effect on them remembering them. You can do the 6’s every night before bed for a week then go to the 7’s and so on and so forth.