Math Facts / Drill - Many ideas!

[mapleleafacademy]

Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 10:59 am

We have used Calculadders very successfully. I slip them into page protectors (labelled with each dc's name) and they do them with dry erase markers.

Then it is very simple to check their results.. If they do not "pass" the level, I just erase it and the page is ready for the next day.

[Precious3]

Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 9:39 pm

We drill math facts like copy work. I write out whatever problems they are working on once across a sheet of paper, ex. +7's, 0+7=, 1+7=, etc. Of course I write the problems out vertically. They solve the problems, then copy it, saying each problem in their heads. I try to have them copy each problem about 4 times. I tried everything I could think of, flash cards, timed drills, computer program. Nothing worked for my dd. This method has worked wonders for her.
_________________
Deena

[angelsoup]

Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 3:52 am

For supplementing the kids I use:

- the online math drill at MUS
- Quarter Mile Math
- plus various computer games
- play card games
- books by Bright Minds

[RJ's Momma]

I was wondering if anyone has used copywork for Math Facts? I thought two things..."Wow, this sounds really good", quickly followed by "I bet kids hate all this writing, I think my son would". Anyone care to add an opinion to all the other voice in my head on this one :)?
Melissa

Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008

I had the same thought as you on this. The 'she'll hate to write it out' won out for me though.

Instead (because she is more of a auditory learner) I have her say out loud the math facts (multiplication by 3's right now). She'll say 3x1=3, 3x2=6 and so on, from a list that is already written out for her.

Then I have her fill in the blank on a wipe-off book so that she can practice the facts over and over again.

I switch both of these out with 'timed tests' (though we don't actually time them), that work on addition, subtraction and some multiplication (so far just up to the x3's).

All together we spend maybe 5 min doing the wipe-off, oral or timed test, and then it usually takes 20 min or so to do the Singapore (at least right now as a good deal of it is review for her).
Shannon

[lyntley]

Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 2:22 pm

I used copywork when DD was strugling with a particular area of multiplication. It's not something I would use long term but it was nice to break up page after page of drilling. I might do it for DS for some of his addition facts that don't have any tricks.

[shera]

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:15 am

He rolls a dice and tells me how many more to make ten or if he rolls 2 dice he adds the sum.
Sarah

[buckhome]

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:14 pm

I found another site, not as nice as some, but it works for me. It's called brainish.com.

My youngest seems to have caught on to alot of the math facts just using this program. I wish I would have done drilling more often because now I'm stuck starting over.

[cbollin]

Now, if we can just memorize addition facts so we can move on to subtraction!!!!

I have a different view about math facts. It's ok to co-teach Addition and subtraction together as you work through fact families (aka Singapore math number bonds) instead of waiting and waiting.

example:
1+2=3
2+1=3
3-1=2
3-2=1

hang in there with the number bonds/math facts. (hug)
-crystal

[lyntley]

Something he has enjoyed recently and they seem to be sticking is a book that tells silly stories to remember the facts -- "Addition the Fun Way" with City Creek Press.

[Andrea]

Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 8:13 am

We have the Math Shark and both of my kids really like it (ages 5 & 8). It has multiple level settings so it can work for many different ages/levels. So far we have liked it!
Andrea

[MJP]

Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 2:08 pm

We have flashmaster and love it--no more flashcards here.

[Julie in MN]

My all time favorite math drill program is Math-It, and it really encourages the kids to look at the answers as often as they need to... they instruct the kids to check the answers as often as they need to as they are building speed. We have had very good success with this approach.

Jenn (or anyone who has used Math it)
I'm reading a cathy duffy review of this product and thought I'd ask out loud over here for something to make sense.
Why does someone need to be able to
close eyes tightly
count backwards from 20 to 0 while tying their shoes
before using this product???

Math-It uses some unusual methods to learn the facts. You do things like hold your breath and try to accomplish certain things with the fact cards. I think the recommendations above would have to do with children being old enough to be comfortable (a) doing two things at once, and (b) doing things like closing your eyes or holding your breath.

We used Math-It for a while, as one tool in our toolchest. It includes several games for the different operations. The author created it I believe for his grandson, and came up with some unique methods that were kind of a fun change of pace to my son. It's kinda pricey, but unlike some games we've tried, I liked that these games *just* focus on math facts.

[cbollin]

Queenshomeschool has mathfacts copywork.

We do something similar without workbooks. I use a dry erase board to practice writing the facts, and teaching number bonds. I don't let them guess the wrong answer either. Glad to know I'm not the only one out there who thinks that way.

even my child who hates pencils, likes to be at the dry erase board.
-crystal

[TriciaMR]

My dd is VERY right brained. So I made up some stories. The main thing is the kids need to automatically know what adds up to 10. So, we had the following "stories":

9 is a magician (draw a 9 with a top had, and a face in the circle part, and an arm coming of the side holding a magic wand) and he has only one magic wand, so he is really careful about not losing it. Then we said, "9+1 = 10, 1+9 = 10."

8 is a super hungry fellow, and he "ate two much" (yes, I know it is the wrong "too"). (Draw a face in both circles with big mouths and a table with a bunch of empty plates and crumbs all over.) 8+2 = 10, 2+8 = 10.

Then we had superhero 7. Make the horizontal bar the "cape" and draw a 3 on it. His story is he goes around rescuing 3's from danger.

6 is a clown, and he juggles 4 balls. (We made the circle his big read nose, and put the eyes up under the arch.)

5 is a twin, and his twin follows him around everywhere. (Draw a 5, with a 5 shadow. It helped that we have twins.)

4 is a gardener and she likes to plant six different types of flowers. (Draw the 4 with the hoe coming off the side where the horizontal line crosses the vertical and then 6 flowers around the 4.)

3 is a party animal (draw him with a party hat on top, and a horn out of his mouth) and always invites 7 friends over to his party.

(We didn't do 2 and 1 because she could add and subtract those just fine.)

Anyway, using those stories, the 10 facts finally stuck in her head, and we were able to use those and some tricks to memorize things like 9 + 7. That, and we played candyland math, and flashcards and such. Another thing I did, was set out her Barbies and let her teach the math facts to her dolls. She thinks that is so cool.

One thing, if you son is right brained, he needs to see the flashcards *with* the answers several times, before seeing them without the answers.

I'm using Dianne Craft's Right Brained Multiplication Fact cards to help my dd memorize her multiplication facts, and it works! But, like I said, she is *very* right brained. So, ignore all this if your son isn't right brained.

-Trish

[mom2boys]

Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 6:45 pm

If you have children that are very computer/gaming savvy this one [Quarter Mile Math] might get boring quickly. I bought it a few years ago and my boys tired of it real fast. They have preferred one called Math Blaster. I agree with Julie that variety might be the best way to keep it fun, so you wouldn't want to invest too much money in any one method.

Blessings,

[machelmay]

Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 1:02 am

I am also going to use a math card game called Multiplication War and Division War . If you are familiar with the card game War it is the same game, but requires the players to complete math facts to see who wins. You could probably use basic flash cards to play. I found these particular cards at Barnes and Noble in the children's education section (where the flash cards are) way on the bottom shelf. They where around 3-4 dollars.

Machel

[Willow]

Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 7:54 am

See if your library has Quarter Mile Math (ours does). If so, you could find out if your dc like it before you purchase it.

[Cyndi (AZ)]

I let my kids try a friend's Leapster last week and they both liked it. They are newly turned 6 and almost 8. My dh said that last year he thought the Leapster would be too young, but I like that it is all educational games. I read a review that said that the Leapster is more educational than the games on the Leap Pad Didj. Have any of you looked at these other products? I know it wouldn't last forever, but they might really love it for a year or longer for the younger one.

I guess my question is, do you use the Nintendo DS for educational games, like math or spelling practice? Or is it too hard to compete with the other "fun" games on it? My ds LOVES the wii and I'm still not sure if it would just create another battle zone with him (sometimes it's hard to get him to stop playing) if we gave him a handheld for his birthday? Or if it would be nice for long car trips that we have planned this winter and spring? What are some of your thoughts?

Hi Rachel - FWIW, my dd has had a leapster since she was 3yo, and she still loves it. Lately, she'd rather play on the computer, but there are still plenty of challenging games on the leapster for her. For a kid's hand-held, you can't beat it, IMO. I've got a very sensitive girl who does not do any fighting or "scary stuff," so the leapster is especially perfect. As far as math, the games go up past her current 2nd grade level. There's also excellent animal info, Venn diagrams for sorting, lots of good stuff. My dh also thought she was getting past it in age, then he looked at some of the available cartridges and said, "Wow - she's gonna be good with that for a few more years!"

[niki]

Does anyone know if they make a math facts type game for the Nintendo DS? I have to teach my son math facts a bit differently than my girls because of his eye stuff. Anyway, he does pretty well with video games and wondered if you knew of a math one since his Grandma bought him his own DS. Thanks in advance,
Lainie

Ok, I was slightly impulsive and I got the math personal trainer for the Nintendo DS. It was inexpensive for a "DS game" at least the ones my kiddos want! Anyway - ITS GREAT! My kids love it (at least for now while it's the new game)!!!!

niki

[donutmom]

THis may be a silly question, but how do you do math drills? I have two boys who need work on faster recall of basic addition and subtraction facts and I am unsure how to use flashcards in a way that will really benefit them and they will enjoy it. Any great ideas?

I have a timer that we set for one minute. I flip the flashcards as they say the answers. I made a little chart to keep track of how many they get per minute. We usually do enough "one minute sessions" to get through the stack--or if they are just learning, we just do 3-one minute sessions a day. It has seemed to hit on my boys competitiveness edge!! They do not do it against each other--just themselves against the clock (too many yrs. between their ages to compete). They then have their chart to see if they beat the number they got last time. They get excited when they set a new record or reach a break-through number (eg: 30+ per minute, after weeks of in the 20's).

Now that my oldest knows all the different facts, that's still how we do his review. We give one day a week to each type of fact (add.,sub., ...), and then have one day off. (But we don't do it every week). For my younger who just has down the add. & subtr., we alternate days with one day off a week. We are more consistent with him, since he's still mastering them all. Funny thing is, they often bring the cards and timer to me, even on a day off.

My boys didn't like flashcards before we started this. It was just "sssooo boooorrrring"! (you never hear that at your house, do you? ). As they learn new facts, they do just have to sit and review the new ones, but we do the timer with the ones they already know. That's what works at our house.

2 other thoughts. . .Are your boys close enough in skill level to compete against each other? When we kept some kids once, they loved competing against each other. Also, we've played "war" using flashcards, instead of a regular deck of cards. They enjoy that, too.

Dee

[LynneH]

We are using RightStart Math card games and have been very happy with them instead of flash cards. The games are fun for everyone, including adults, and the kids hardly realize they are "doing math." One can purchase the Math Card Games kit which includes several decks of RightStart cards and instructions for an extensive list of games. I also recently noticed that you can purchase decks of cards individually, based on the skill you are drilling. These would be a great supplement for any curriculum and would be useful for many years, IMHO.

Before using RightStart, my dd really hated drilling with flash cards. Playing the RightStart games has made drilling those facts painless and relaxing for us. She is learning much quicker than before because of her mindset. I am so thankful that I found this curriculum.

Lynne

[Tami in IA]

My kids made up a game to practice their math facts after seeing a new toy/game advertised in a mag.
The game was Number Busters by Little Tykes, if you want to take a look at it.
So, what they did was made up two sets of cards numbered 0-10 then placed stickers, numbered 0-10, on some little plastic animals.
Now they battle each other by each choosing a numbered animal then flipping over a card to see who's numbers add up to the largest number or subtract to the smallest number.
Clear as mud?

[Julie in MN]

Which games or sites are your kids favorites? My DD needs extra help with her math facts and is really into computer games right now. thanks!

We used Singapore's a bit. To me, they were keeping up my son's thinking/logic skills when math problems got to be too much. I gave my youngest plenty of time during that middle math area (borrowing, carrying, and long division), without pushing him ahead. We used other math programs & games to give it time to sink in. So the Singapore games were one of those options for him.

I think I found a schedule online that told me which particular game matched which unit in Singapore. Let's see... here it is:
http://www.singaporemath.com/ProductDet ... =TechSpecs
http://www.singaporemath.com/ProductDet ... =TechSpecs

If you're looking for "math drill" games, I don't feel the Singapore games are the most efficient at focusing on drill. There is some math calculation, but that didnt seem to be the main focus.

We use Reader Rabbit Math and Quarter Mile for math drills. So I think we're okay there. I just want more practice for them re: order of operations, place value and how to set up problems.

On occasion, my son uses Math Blockout. It covers some of those things. It's from Critical Thinking Co. and it's for the computer.
Julie

[hsmom]

We have RR and we like it fine. We got ours used, so not full price. I wouldn't pay full price for it. I'd say my kids enjoyed it. I agree that it's more for thinking skills than math facts.

We've played around a bit with http://www.thinkingblocks.com/ (click try it) And that seems really cool, but we've only done the very first section.

We have Timez attack (free version, but even the pay version would be worth it in my opinion) The graphics are high quality, and it is very much like a "real" video game. (whether or not that is a good thing is up to you!) Definitely helped my oldest with his mult. facts. Even the 4 yr old was learning them, and passed a few levels(his idea, not mine). My boys both love it and want the pay version so that they can do the other scenery. There's a really good video tour at http://www.bigbrainz.com/HowToPlay.html

Also you can do some mental math at http://www.singmath.com/mentalMath.html

[dhudson]

We like http://www.multiplication.com which has Timex Attack but also has other games which are fun. My oldest likes http://www.fantasticcomtraptions.com which is less about math but more about physics. (oh, my ds says that some of the ads are inappropriate so be aware of that).

We also love leapster and didj games for math.