i have a month to teach dd1 2 to 6 times tables

[greenwichgroove]

Computer games are not working, neither are songs.

She said at school they have been writing them down on a square and timing her. She only knows twos by adding.

Can anyone help please

Also what functions should an end of year four child know in maths please.

And do they do to ten x two or up to twelve x two.

They do up to 12x

I have an end of Y4 and they did mixed tables 'tests' every week up to 12x12 and the corresponding division facts. Once the knowledge of tables is secure they can apply that knowledge to other areas.

The only way I found that worked was little and often - just a couple of mins a few times a week. Once my DS realised that learning 3x6 meant that you also knew 6x3 so effectively doubling up, he was a little less resistant!

If your DD is in a state school you can find out what a Y4 should have covered in national curriculum maths at www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/curriculum/primary/b00199044/mathematics/ks2

My Ds1 was a bit useless at this at first as he kept actually trying to work it out but it isn't about working it out it is about remembering the answer.

I did flash cards with him, so 2x2 on one side and the answer on the back, we did them in order, then mixed them up.

If he kept getting one of them wrong, like 7x5 I would put that flash card behind the next one instead of putting it to the back so he basically kept getting the 7x5 card every other flash card. That way it got into his head.

Ds1 is now also at the end of year 4. They had weekly tests on times tables, we have a homework diary that tells them what they should be working on each night, it would usually say, reading, spellings, times tables.

That way he did all his spellings on a Monday so they were done for the week, and read for 10 minutes (he loves reading anyway) he would do this whilst I read with ds2. And we would do times tables on a Tuesday and Wednesday.

This website tells you how to present the facts to be learned in a controlled sequence so student is not overwhelmed by being required to remember too much at once. It works. I use something similar at school, and although progress might not be as fast as your timetable you will be able to work out roughly how long it will take.
www.rocketmath.com/p/home.html

That's strange as that's not the order to learn them anyway.

You do x2 first as that's doubling.
Then 10's because that is place value.
Then 5's.
Then 3's.
Then 4's and 8's as 8's are double 4's.
Then 6,7,9.

A flash card approach worked for us too.

Slightly different method to Fizzylemonade. For each table, cut out 12 pieces of card and write the products on - ie 2 4 6 8 10 ... Lay them out randomly and fire questions - eg 2 4s, 2 8s . Your child then points out the answer and turns over the card. This method worked really well for us. I put together an android app that does the same thing but appreciate computer games haven't worked in the past for you.

Once secure, I tested my kids regularly - mostly on paper. I have an online app that allows you to print out randomized tests. This is good for speeding them up.

I teach 10X first because it's the easiest then 2X then 5X

It might help to visualise the sums a bit. I'm not a teacher but my DD has been asking about times tables (not done in school yet) so I got a pile of coins (1ps) and bundled them up into groups of 2s, then 4 etc. I explained that times tables was a quick way to count the number of coins altogether i.e. 5 bundles of 2 1ps = 10p. 4 bundles of 2 1ps = 8p. I showed her the sum on the times table and then asked her to count all the coins. She seemed to make the link between counting and the times tables i.e. a quicker way to get the answer.

Not sure if this helps, but my DD seems to get that.

2X use egg boxes or socks on a line 5X draw around hands and cut out number the fingers and thumb on each hand 1-5

Thanks everyone!

She knows 10 x snd that's it.
School have asked me to learn them her as she is behind.

Pellshky she likes your app hurrah!!

Just downloaded the app too, so simple it's great, thanks

I know it sounds really old fashioned, but she could just copy them out and chant them with you, say one every 3 days?

In the end I resorted to the old fashioned reciting them with DS1 and made him recite them back to me until they stuck (motivated by the offer of 1 months moshi monsters membership).

One problem I found was that he would do 2,4,6,... rather than 1 x2 =2, 2x2=4. It took a while to get him to see that he needed to recite the whole sum to be able to apply the information to maths problems. It also helped it click that if 8x2=16 then 2x8=16 i.e. if you learn the lower tables you actually already know some of the higher ones.

Presumably she can't learn them because of severe memory problems caused by her dyslexia.

The Maths factor has a times table programme, found it helpful with my daughter.

Repetition - little and often.

Hard work actually on your behalf - not necessarily for her!

You know you're doing it right when she says, '7 x7? You've just asked me that one!'

This is how you do it:

6 4's.....24
5 5's...25
10 2's ....20
6 4's.......24 (ask her one you've just asked)
5 5's......25
6 4's......24.....(now ask her again!)

KEEP REPEATING THE SAME ONES!!! Over and over and over. Seriously. You can easily easily teach your kids their times tables. They can all learn song words. It's the same thing! Fire at her when she sits down to eat - 7 7's! And don't let her sit down til she's answered!

Highlight the times tables with her - prove to her that actually there's not that many to learn. 10's are easy. 1's are easy! ;) 2's are easy (doubling) With just those 3 times tables alone, show her which other times tables she already knows.

TBH her teacher is responsible too. (I'm a teacher!). I was personally appalled by the fact my kids didn't know their times tables - I think the Year 3 teacher should have nailed it by the time they got to me! I'm very proud that all my little stars (even the not so bright ones!) all now know their times tables - and at speed. They even enjoyed having times tables quizzes! (never a test, always a quiz!)

Functions by the end of year 4? How do you mean? Multiplication, grid method. Division by chucking. Old fashioned style for 3 digit+ addition and 3 digit+ subtraction (probably how you were taught at school)

Times tables are at the heart of everything in my book. If they know their times tables, they can then learn to apply them. Knowing them is just a matter of hammering them. Little and often. EVERY DAY. Not once a week. EVERY DAY!!!!! (in fact, when I have my own kids, I'll be hammering them into them from the age of 5!)

BlueMoon - it is just not true that all kids have enough memory to learn their tables. or song lyrics.

Some kids with severe dyslexia don't. And the OPs DD has severe dyslexia.

I have managed to successfully teach a number of children with severe dyslexia this way . Can only go off my own experiences! How do you know 'til you try?

You don't know until you try.

Just suggesting you should be more careful with your language.

You present it like if the child can't learn their tables it must be because the parent (or school) hasn't done a good enough job of teaching.

And that certainly isn't true - and just piles on the guilt to an already desperate parent.

The OP asked for ideas! I didn't suggest anything negative at all! What works for one child doesn't always work for another. As a teacher, I see it as a challenge if the way I'm teaching something doesn't work - my job to come up with an alternative method that does meet the child's learning style. Although, tbh, this method has worked with pretty much every child I've tried it on. Just saying.

This was just a suggestion. :) No need to get all arsey at me!

OP - hope it helps! Not trying to load any guilt on anywhere!

Oh, and I hadn't read the whole thread so apologies, didn't see the bit about OP's child having dyslexia until Indigo pointed it out.

You can easily easily teach your kids their times tables. - this is the line I objected to.

I accept maybe I was being over-sensitive - but I still very much doubt the OP can easily teach her child her times tables.

And am just trying to point out the damage throw away comments like that can do.

If you claim to teach 100% of your kids their times tables - then you are a very rare, very good, teacher.

If you claim to teach all of your kids, besides the ones with bad SEN, then you are a perfectly normal teacher who only fails a few of their kids.

As I said, when I wrote that, the OP had made NO MENTION of any special needs! She just asked for help! What can I say, I'm positive about maths! . It's my best subject, I have huge enthusiasm for it, and I guess, yes, I do pass that onto my kids.

Special needs, of course, present their own unique challenges, which vary from child to child.

I'm sorry. I have been through exactly what the OP's going through - and it's not something you forget easily.

Your advice of asking the times table again 'one back' is very good advice - and I think the best advice on the thread.

And it will work in the majority of cases.

I have also been the victim of lots of teachers being positive, when it has been an extrememly unhelpful approach to take

Best, and most fun, way we have found with Yr4 DD is a 12-sided dice (can get at good games shops or online - we had 2 already as DH was a bit of a gamer!)

• Get child to choose which table they want to do e.g. 5's, etc
• Roll dice and get them to do that sum - will get some easy ones and some hard ones
• Once they get better can do it with both dice and do the sum that comes up

We have the dice on the table and do a few sums every mealtime. Little and often and DD sees it as a game (unlike stuff on the computer which stressed her out). Also great with more than one child as each can choose the table that is right for them.

Our DC like the tables of doom which has games ad sheets and when they master a table get new animals on their island. Works well for both mine, one with dyslexia and one v strong in maths ( level 4a at end of yr 3).

Also good for in the car is Percy Parker, my kids ask for these to be put on and one friend insisted he wanted it for his birthday :)