9 yr old - any ideas to help learn multiplication

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Forum -> Chinuch, Education & Schooling

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Pickle1

Tue, Dec 12 2017, 7:56 pm

my son having hard time learning times tables - he has no patience either
does a/o know any free or cheap ways to teach him - maybe a computer game?
I already have a little math electronic game he hates it

Optione

Tue, Dec 12 2017, 9:14 pm

Flashcards. Learning multiplication facts is the only time I have found them to be effective.

imasinger

Tue, Dec 12 2017, 9:30 pm

Drill just one or very few every time you are:

- in the car with him
- ready to give him a snack or something else nice
- able to demonstrate the Multiplication Fact of the day -- with food, blocks, whatever.
- any other time you think he will take 5 seconds.

Help him learn patterns. Tens end in 0, fives in 0 or 5. Nines, the digits add up to 9. Fours have a repeating pattern of the final digit -- 4,8,2,6,0.

And of course, cheer him on!

Learning in tiny bits tends to be more effective than drilling for long enough to get bored and/or frustrated.

amother

Amber

Tue, Dec 12 2017, 9:34 pm

I've been using a book called times tales which uses stories to make the multiplication memorable. I believe it also comes in DVD form. So far I think it's been effective ( only used it 4 times...)

yogabird

Tue, Dec 12 2017, 9:36 pm

skip-counting, with a different tune for each one

Rubber Ducky

Tue, Dec 12 2017, 10:06 pm

We used to sing them. It worked.

33055

Tue, Dec 12 2017, 10:09 pm

yogabird wrote:

skip-counting, with a different tune for each one

I was going to recommend movement and song for each table. This worked for one of my kids who couldn't learn the tables but was musical.

I also got a game of multiplication bingo and played it with the DC's friends. DC used to win the rounds often. I gave out little candies for each card.

This doesn't promote understanding of math but was a great technique for the math blind.

Laiya

Tue, Dec 12 2017, 10:12 pm

https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod.....X0DER

amother

Seashell

Tue, Dec 12 2017, 10:16 pm

There's a finger trick for the 9 table.
He probably knows 1,2,5,10 table

What's left 3,4,6,7,8 -

Then there are other little tricks like 3x4=12 because 1,2,3,4 and 7x8=56
because 5,6,7,8
That's another 4 problems

IMHO- the problem is that they expect the kids to do 20 problems in 1 minute. This puts a lot of stress and the child can not think under stress.

Hatemywig

Tue, Dec 12 2017, 10:18 pm

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/mat.....utton

cbg

Tue, Dec 12 2017, 10:40 pm

imasinger wrote:

BTW -All even # s have a repeating even pattern in the final digit
2-2,4,6,8,0,2,4,6,8,0
4-4,8,2,6,0,4,8,2,6,0
6-6,2,8,4,0,6,2,8,4,0
8-8,6,4,2,0,8,6,4,2,0

All odd #s EXCEPT FOR 5 have 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 in a certain pattern.
Example
3, 12, 21 <.* -------- 7, 28, 49. <. -------- 9, 36, 63 ^
6, 15, 24 <. ---------- 14, 35, 56 <. -------- 18, 45, 72 ^
9, 18, 27 <.----------- 21, 42, 63 <.* -------- 27, 54, 81 ^*
Check the direction the arrow is going, starting with the *, and you'll find a pattern of 1-9 in the final digit.

Also when you add the last digit of thr corners, when written out like above
top left with bottom right
bottom left with top right
middle left with middle right
The final digits will equal 10
Works with the even tables also when written out in the same fashion.

I found a way to learn the tables using these patterns.
It makes no sense, but it works.
Hard to explain.

Math can be very cool.

Bnei Berak 10

Wed, Dec 13 2017, 2:43 am

OP, see if you can find songs or melodies for it. I am sure Google will help you find.It works like a charm! I learnt complicated preposition words in German grammar (as a foreign language) at age 13 with melody. Still sticks in my mind perfectly 30 yrs later. Everyone in my German class (even the weakest students) learnt it perfectly, nobody had a problem. It was a child song that everyone knew.

amother

Honeydew

Wed, Dec 13 2017, 3:35 am

Chances are, he's not good at memorizing. What worked for me what doing it sort of logically and worked with what I knew. (I don't agree with testing him at all times of day and night to help him. If he in fact isn't good at memorizing - which you didn't say but I'm assuming - that will just make life miserable and stressful. Work with is strengths.)

1,2,3,5 and 9 I could do.

School House Rock had a song for 3's so I knew it from that. For some reason the other songs didn't stick but if he's musical, try that.

For 4 - I did it times 2, and then times 2 again.
For 6, I knew that 6 times 6 = 36 (at the time, chip bags were 6/$1 and I knew that getting 36 was $6. Rolling Eyes

) For everything til then, I did it based on the other number - 6x4 = 6x2x2. That worked.
For 7, I knew that 7x7 = 49 because of sefira (Rebbi Alter song "seven weeks times seven's 49!")

The issue came in with 6,7 and 8 working with each other.
6x7 I did 6x6 + 6. 7x8 - 7x7 + 7. 8x8 I just memorized.

I don't know if I still do it like that but I have moved on in life and use these skills in day to day life and I'm doing just fine. In fact, once we got past the multiplication facts stuff, I was really good at math. Its my strong point since its not based on memorization - its mostly logic.

I remember one of my siblings doing somethign with word plays or something. It was like chicks times chicks is 30 chicks - for 6x6 = 36. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

disneyland

Wed, Dec 13 2017, 3:50 am

If you have a keyboard you can make up songs with it

amother

Seashell

Wed, Dec 13 2017, 8:32 am

Get a multiplication grid (like the one in a nComposition Notebook)
Color in the ones he knows.
When he realizes there's not that many left, it might be easier.

amother

Mauve

Wed, Dec 13 2017, 8:45 am

http://www.abcya.com/multiplic.....r.htm

http://www.abcya.com/multiplication_mine.htm

There might be some other games on the site to reinforce math skills.

Hatzlacha!

amother

Ivory

Wed, Dec 13 2017, 9:04 am

Best way to learn something is by teaching it. Can he play teacher with another kid or adult and teach it to him/her?

cbg

Wed, Dec 13 2017, 7:14 pm

This was so cool I had to share

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xetE0IN-w3g

Learn how to multiply 6x6 - 10x10 using your fingers.
Once you get the hang of it, it's quite easy.

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