What is the fastest way to thoroughly learn times tables for a 3rd grader?

[Anonymous]

There are tricks for learning many of them (not so much for the 7's and 8's -- that's just memorization).

I'm sure you know all the x 5's end in a 5 or 0. Did you know all the x 9's have digits that add up to 9? (i.e. 3x 9 = 27.... 2+7 = 9). I never knew that. There are others you can look up.

Mostly, it is just repetition, repetition, repetition.

[Anonymous]

My kid's third grade teacher recommending counting coins. He said that a lot of kids struggled with pure memorization, but would easily remember money.

[Anonymous]

Rote memorization if behind. Get a times tables placard so they can see the number progression, post it prominently in your house. Work on each number line nightly.

Your kid needs to know math facts at this point. 7's, 8's and 9's hardest. Start with 1 and build confidence. Math success is so tied to confidence.

Flash cards only after they show confidence in a number line to reinforce math facts they've mastered. Else, too much pressure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm coming to the realization that my son did not learn his time tables as well as he should have, even though he's been doing the study methods required by the teacher (Everyday Math, so games and some math facts practice). I need to help him learn them solidly. He's beginning to fall behind. I learned just by rote memorization of a one-pager with the facts on it. Is that the best way? Or any other recommendations? TIA

We had the same issue a couple of years ago with my now 5th grader. I just went back to the old system, memorize and repeat until it is drilled in your brain. We would practice sometimes walking back home from school, sometimes in the car. To me this is the only way, I learned them over 40 years ago like this and still know them. I think the supposedly more gentle way of games, flashcards and so on used today is actually more painful because it drags the memorization for a longer time, and you get kids who know how to multiply 367 X 328 but make mistakes because they do not know 6X3. Sit down and repeat X6 a million times and then you know it and you are done.

[Anonymous]

try this site - xtramath.org

It's 10 minutes of practice a day and it self adjusts to the kids level.

[Anonymous]

Memorization but you have to make your kid want to do it. I would highly suggest allowing them to earn prizes/rewards to speed up their desire to memorize the facts and move on...

[Anonymous]

Timed testing and drills works for some kids but for others it can backfire and cause math anxiety in the long run. There have been a lot of studies recently to support this. An example:

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/07/03/36boaler.h31.html

OP - if your kid shows any aversion to timed drills don't go that route. Games, school house rock etc are all good ideas. If he is a kinetic learner try practicing while running or playing catch.

Recently a friend told me that, back in the 70s, her parents wrote the problem on index cards then taped them to the stairs. When she went up the stairs she would practice. 1x1 = 1 take a step, 1x2 =2, take a step. They did a new number every week and in ten weeks she had them down. I haven't tried that on my kid but it sounds like a good idea.

For some kids sitting still is a distraction. It was for me. I learned my times tables and practiced spelling while jumping on the trampoline.

[Anonymous]

Hi, this is OP. Thanks for all the feedback and ideas. I signed up for IXL and that seems to be helping. There is no timed pressure, which my son does not respond to well at all. We also do some drills in the car on the way to school. Boring, but that's the way I learned. I think some math just has to be learned by rote.

[Anonymous]

Reflex Math

https://www.reflexmath.com/

We're testing this at our school with third graders. The kids love it.