How to build up speed in Mental maths for year 2 dd

[Doc25]

Hi all,

Any tips for building up thinking speed in maths...dd knows the answer but takes her time to answer..how to make her quicker in maths..thanks

I don't know of any other way other than practicing. If she is too slow answering orally - get her to write the answer instead.
But otherwise, it just takes practice.

There was Brain Trainer by Dr Kawashima for Nintendo DS about 10 years ago that was fun. It increased reflexes and had some easy sums. Maybe there's a more modern version nowadays.

This my work?

www.arcademics.com/

Sorry posted too quick!
It's free. You don't need to sign up. If you scroll down there's loads of mental maths games. You can play as a guest.

This might! not my!!

Sorry if I'm being dense, but why do you need her to be quicker if she can do it?

I noticed that DS was a lot more interested in sums where we used real coins.

It also helped to give an instant reward - e.g. if you get this sum right in x seconds, you get 1 sweetie.

I was a primary TA for twenty years, and this is my standard Numeracy advice. UNDERSTANDING, and being able to make connections between various strategies probably helps:

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