Hi freedom:
I've posted a lot about DD1's struggles - so I won't go over the same story here....but my recipe is simple:
regular reading
regular maths
reading: well that can be addressed in all sorts of ways: them reading school books to you/ you reading to them/ audio books in the car on long journeys/ magazines/ comics/ etc.... we opted for a routine of reading every night after bath (unless overly tired/ ill). It became our way as a family to unwind for the evening.
maths: well first off it's ideally suited to video games and there is so much out there for free - my favourite site to reliable & good maths games is from Woodlands Junior school: resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/.
I also would recommend games (snakes & ladders - but spice it up: If your Y2 child has already mastered adding numbers to 20, try adding more dice (maybe 4 dice) to get a big roll (up to 24) and then have them add up what space they should land on in their head. Can play backwards to work on subtracting.
If your DC is past learning to add/ subtract to 100 - then work on multiplication tables 2/ 5/ 10 - agree which table and play snakes and ladders with the roll of dice (use two) being the multiple of 2/5/10 table.
Times tables need to be learned by Y4 - and there is an order:
2/5/10 (often learned by counting in Y2)
3/4 are next - depends on whether working on doubling as a concept first.
I'm not completely clear when x0 and x1 are taught - but ensure they know anything x 0 = 0
and
anything x 1 = 1 (itself)
Once doubling is understood - you actually can work out a lot:
8 is double 4 times table or double two times table and double again.
6 is double 3 times table
12 is double 6 times table or double 3 times table and double again.
so with that your child should know your x0/x1/x2/x3/x4/x5/x6/x8/x10/x12 tables - leaving you with x7/ x9/ x11 - well let's ignore 7 (always best) and look at x9 and x11 which are full of patterns.
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9 has a pattern:
9 x 1 = 09 (which we write as 9).
9 x 2 = 18
9 x 3 = 27
9 x 4 = 36
9 x 5 = 45
9 x 6 = 54
9 x 7 = 63
9 x 8 = 72
9 x 9 = 81
9 x 10 = 90
So first thing to notice: the digits in the answer always adds up to 9 - and that works as high as you want to go
so 333 x 9 = 2997 and if you add those digits you get 2+9+9+7 = 27 and if you add 2 + 7 - you get 9.
next thing is between x1 to x10 - you have a pattern - the answer is two digits and the first digit is always one less than the multiple of 9.
then knowing the two digits add to 9 - you can work out the answer
so 6 x 9 (first digit starts one less than multiple, which is 6) = so first digit is 5. What + 5 = 9. 4. So second digit is 4.
6 x 9 = 54.
You can also use your hand calculator. turn your hands palm up with thumbs on outside. from left thumb number 1 to 5 (pinkie) on left hand and then 6 (right pinkie) to 10 (right thumb) on right hand. Fold the appropriate number finger for the multiple of 9.
So in 6 x 9 you'd fold finger 6 = which is right hand pinkie and you'd see 5 fingers up to the left and 4 fingers up to the right. The left fingers are the tens digit and the right fingers are the units digit. so 5 fingers left of the folded finger means 6 x 9 starts with 5 and 4 fingers to the right of the folded digit means 6 x 9 ends with -4. so 6 x 9 = 54.
That leaves 11 x 9 and 12 x 9.
Well in reality you can work out 12 x 9 in several ways.
9 x 6 = 54 and double that = 108
or you can think about it as 10 x 9 = 90 + (2 x 9 = 18) = 90 + 18 = 108.
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11 is much like one pretty straightforward to 9 x 11 - just right the multiple down 2 times.
1 x 11 = 11
2 x 11 = 22
3 x 11 = 33
...
9 x 11 = 99
10 x 11 should already be known = 110
that leaves the pattern from 11 x 11
for two digit multiples x 11 separate the first and second number of the multiple and then add both digits for the middle number
27 x 11
2 - (2+7) - 7
2 - 9 - 7
27 x 7 = 297
sometimes you have to carry if the two digits > 9
so 47 x 11
4 - (4 + 7) - 7
4 - (11) - 7
(4 + 1) - 1 - 7
5 - 1 - 7
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So that's all times tables 1 - 6 and 8 - 12 - just leaving x7.
But in fact you know your x7 facts for all those tables and actually are only missing 7 x 7. I'm afraid there is no trick but I find it helps to remember 7 x 7 is a swine - which in fact rhymes with 49.
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Learning times tables so that you don't have to think them through is a huge advantage in maths. Frankly spending time helping your child learn these - playing games/ finding good video games - woodland junior maths zone or www.multiplication.com are two good sites with video games to help practice times tables.
We did a lot at home as a family to help practice:
Playing snakes and ladder with two dice but practicing the multiple of whatever times table (with tables above x5 play board forward and back or it goes to quickly).
Playing multiplication snap: so deciding which table to practice and then flipping cards on an ordinary deck - Ace = 1/ 2 - 9 as numbered/ Jack = 10/ Queen = 11 and King = 12. First to shout out right answer wins the cards. Overall winner is the person with the most cards. Can get quite raucous - from personal experience probably advisable not to play this whilst waiting for food in a restaurant.
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From Y5/Y6 - I worked on trying to get DD1 to really think through & plan what she was writing (she'd often have to write about what she was reading as homework). I found these VCOP pyramids (V = Vocabulary/ C = Connectives/ O = Openers/ P = Punctuation) displays.tpet.co.uk/?resource=387#/ViewResource/id387 - really helpful. The four sides are set up with the bottom being easier skills and the top being more advanced. I could easily see what types of vocabulary/ punctuation/ Openers DD1 was using and could clearly see what type she needed to move on to using next. I didn't re-write her work - but would gently encourage her to use 'more interesting' words or 'another' word here and there - to just gradually get her writing from being so monosyllabic.
HTH