How to teach multiplication tables?

[united4ever]

So my year 2 son has been asked to learn 2 and 10 times tables over half term. Teacher says their is a place for rote learning of them. My son struggles with maths and dont think he gets multiplication at all yet...just doing addition and subtraction is hard enough.

So whats the best way to memorise these? should i explain what they mean and try to introduce multiplication or just try to memorise the 2 and 10 tables. if just memorise then what is the best way....just reading it out is pretty dull isnt it? and therefore hard to remember:(

Thaks in advance!

[BertrandRussell]

Repetition, chanting and bribery. Lots and lots of bribery.


Get loads of some sort of tiny sweets and do sums with them.

Oh, and if you do the chanting thing, make sure you do the whole "sentence"
="two times two is four" and so on. Some teachers seem to teach "counting in twos" which means if you need "two times eight" you have to start at two and count up on your fingers.......

It really makes a difference, particularly to children who find Maths hard, to know your tables- it's so worth doing, so persevere if you can. Good luck!

[stargirl1701]

Head, shoulders, knees and toes whilst reciting them? Listening to audio CDs in the car? Displayed on walls in your house - back of bathroom door if you look at it on the toilet? Make them up with concrete materials such as pennies.

[BertrandRussell]

Just remembered, my dd found it easier to think of "two lots of two" "two lots of three" rather than "times"

And that's easier to demonstrate with the sweets

[GreenSand]

Sweets, beads, buttons, Lego bricks grouped into lots of sets of 2 or 10. Show him what it means (by adding if needed), then rote learning.

[mrz]

There is definitely a place for having instant recall of times tables and hopefully he will have already had lots of experience of counting in 2s and 10s, combining sets of twos and tens and repeat addition 2+2+2+2 = 4 sets of 2= 4X2=8

I'm a big fan of the Percy Parker materials (available on the App Store or CD)

[Lindy2]

There are a lot of songs for leading tables on you tube. My year 3 child is actually really enjoying the songs and for a reluctant learner doing okay with remembering them. Laugh along and learn are very good IMO.

[user789653241]

I think knowing times table gives your child a lot of advantage and confidence. So, even it seems dull, it's worth let him learn it. I think seeing it everyday helps, so get a poster and hang it up where he sees it everyday? You tube is good too.

www.khanacademy.org/math/arithmetic/multiplication-division

www.arcademics.com/

www.mathplayground.com/index_multiplication_division.html

freerice.com/#/multiplication-table/17485

[user789653241]

www.learnyourtables.co.uk/en/index2.htm

[toomuchicecream]

Make a card for each answer with a picture of the matching array on eg 4 x 2 would be 4 rows of 2 sweets. He could draw them, or you could take photographs of objects, or it could just be a pattern of dots with a felt tip pen. You can use anything - teaspoons, dummies, lego, grapes - whatever you have around. But makes sure the rows and columns are lined up straight. Then you can show him the pictures and get him to tell you the question that goes with it eg 4 lots of 2 or 4 groups of 2 is the same as 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 is the same as 4 x 2 is the same as 8. You need to help him to have a really secure image in his head of what 4 x 2 actually looks like. When he can do that you can play a matching pairs game - match the picture to the question to the answer. When he can do that you can then use the cards you've made as flashcards. So if you turn over an answer card, can he tell you the question? If you turn over a picture card, can he tell you the question and answer which go with it. Just do it for 1 minute. How many can he answer? Note it down, or plot it on a graph, then do the same again tomorrow - you and he will be amazed how much quicker he gets and how fast the line on the graph goes upwards. Then you can repeat the process with his 10 times table, then mix the cards up, then introduce the 5 times table and so on.

www.youcubed.org/fluency-without-fear/ is a fairly academic look at ways of improving fluency in recall of basic number facts. The reason I link to it is that if you download the pdf, towards the end of the documents there are cards like I''m describing that you could just print off and use - it shows you the picture I've got in my head! But far better for your DS to make his own cards as that will be part of the learning process.

[Ferguson]

Practical things are best for grasping number concepts - bricks, Lego, beads, counters, money, shapes, weights, measuring, cooking.

Do adding, taking away, multiplication (repeated addition), division (sharing), using REAL OBJECTS as just 'numbers' can be too abstract for some children.

Number Bonds of Ten forms the basis of much maths, so try to learn them. Using Lego or something similar, use a LOT of bricks (of just TWO colours, if you have enough) lay them out so the pattern can be seen of one colour INCREASING while the other colour DECREASES. Lay them down, or build up like steps.

So:
ten of one colour none of other
nine of one colour one of other
eight of one colour two of other
seven of one colour three of other
etc,
then of course, the sides are equal at 5 and 5; after which the colours 'swap over' as to increasing/decreasing.

To learn TABLES, do them in groups that have a relationship, thus:

x2, x4, x8

x3, x6, x12

5 and 10 are easy

7 and 9 are rather harder.

Starting with TWO times TABLE, I always say: "Imagine the class is lining up in pairs; each child will have a partner, if there is an EVEN number in the class. If one child is left without a partner, then the number is ODD, because an odd one is left out."

Use Lego bricks again, lay them out in a column of 2 wide to learn 2x table. Go half way down the column, and move half the bricks up, so that now the column is 4 bricks wide. That gives the start of 4x table.

Then do similar things with 3x and 6x.

With 5x, try and count in 'fives', and notice the relationship with 'ten' - they will alternate, ending in 5 then 10.

It is important to try and UNDERSTAND the relationships between numbers, and not just learn them 'by rote'.

An inexpensive solar powered calculator (no battery to run out!) can help learn tables by 'repeated addition'. So: enter 2+2 and press = to give 4. KEEP PRESSING = and it should add on 2 each time, giving 2 times table.

There are good web sites, which can be fun to use :

//www.ictgames.com/

www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/page/default.asp?title=Woodlands%20Junior%20School&pid=1

[Narp]

The school will be teaching him the conceptual stuff he needs to know.

What children need more of at home is rote learning.

[united4ever]

Toomuchicecream, I cannot seem to find the pdf in that document although it does mention appendix A i cant find where appendix A is. any help. Great responses thanks all!

[TeaT1me]

Oh I looked at Amazon for tomes table cds but there's loads. Which are good?

[TheNumberfaker]

united the pdf is right at the top of the web page. Yellow box says 'download pdf'.

[united4ever]

Doh! of course...thanks faker:)

[moanwhingemoan]

We listen to the Percy Parker times table cd, it's been fab at helping and is not boring to listen to!