how to help my DS focus and help with math

rainbow dash

Sun, Jul 07 2013, 5:17 pm

My DS 9 has problems focusing at school. Hes going into the 3rd yr and needs to improve. Its weird because he can read comics and play with his lego for hrs with no problem, so why cant he focus at school?

In his class they are up to multiply and division by 20. he went today to his speech therapist ( she is helping him with his math) and she said that he cant even do plus and minus till 10. Any ideas how I can help him?

groisamomma

Sun, Jul 07 2013, 5:50 pm

My kids use an online math program called First in Math. It costs about $20 for 6 months and it starts them at the bottom level and raises it as their skills improve. It has practice, timed games, puzzles, and skill sets that get unlocked and the kids earn stickers as points.

yogabird

Sun, Jul 07 2013, 6:02 pm

In order to know how to add and subtract, he needs to know how to count up from 1-10 and back down from 10-1. He also needs to understand the concepts behind adding and subtracting.

For learning to count: have him chant the number backwards and forwards while jumping on a trampoline, bouncing on a therapy ball, bouncing a ball against the wall (the kinesthetic movement will keep him stimulated so he can learn, and will actually help his brain retain the information).

Have him count to one hundred pointing to each number on a hundred chart.

Play a game where you say any number, and he has to automatically count up or down from that number until you say "stop".

For understanding the concept, help him visualize it by use manipulatives and word problems involving familiar scenarios.

Once he understands the concept and can count forwards or backwards to 10, combine both skills.

Read or say a word problem. Show him to "put the first number into his head" (so that he doesn't have to count from 1 each time and then run out of fingers) by saying the number out loud while tapping his head, and then picking up the amount of fingers corresponding to the second number and counting up or down, depending on if the example is addition or subtraction.

6+3 "put 6 in your head (taps head while saying 6 out loud), pick up 3 fingers, 7,8,9"

7-3 "put 7 in your head, pick up 3 fingers, 6, 5, 4"