Well actually, these days, I believe it is all three…
Forty years ago, when I was at school, we started each day chanting our times tables and then did exercises that challenged us to answer correctly as many questions as possible in a set time. It was how it was done. We had no choice. The consequences for not learning them were quite severe in some cases.
But, things have changed…
Today these methods are frowned upon and called ‘old fashioned’. And what is accepted now will be different tomorrow. Teaching strategies will always change with the times as we search for better ways to create real learning.
However, I am seeing more and more children each day unable to automatically recall their tables. Sadly, all too often I hear “My child doesn’t know their times tables and they’re off to high school next year.”
The only way I can see it working in today’s environment is to have teachers responsible for teaching children how multiplication tables work and why they are REEEALLY important. With this understanding, the Children can then be responsible for learning them with the help of their parents. Together with this teaching and learning your child will truly know their Times Tables.
I can hear you groaning now, “I just don’t have the time or patience to do that!”
Well, from seeing over 1000 children come through our Centres over the years, I have found the best way to learn the Times Tables is constant repetition until it embeds into their long term memory. This means at school and at home until it sinks in.
Ideally two, five-minute sessions a day for 21 days will commit each of the times tables to memory. Once done your child’s life will be so much easier with other parts of Maths like division, fractions and decimals. If we could convince them to do this, the memory would be there FOREVER!
So, truly KNOWING times tables will come as a result of the effort put in by all involved, where teachers TEACH them and children LEARN them.
Put simply: TEACH + LEARN = KNOW
Below I have some suggestions for things you can do at home to speed up the process. With focused effort we can make this happen. The key is finding the method and motivation, which will work best, for your child.
PLAY BALL
This game will test your child’s reflexes as well as their times tables. Two players stand a distance apart and throw a ball between each other. The thrower asks a question and the catcher has to answer before catching the ball
FLASH THOSE CARDS
Create a set of flashcards of difficult times tables questions. Children may enjoy making these themselves. As your child memorises each question, remove it from the pile, giving a visual reminder of the progress they’ve made
GRAB A SMARTPHONE OR A TABLET
Download a few times tables apps. Here are a couple that rank highly:
Times Table Mountain App
- For iPhone, iPad, and Android
- Costs a few dollars
- Suitable for all ages
- Fun and engaging
Eggy Times Table App by Reading Eggs
- For iPad, iPhone and Android
- Suitable for ages 5-10
- 5 highly interactive games
- 2 or 3 difficulty levels for each activity
- 15 exciting Mashies rewards to collect
