Struggling with 'number facts'

[User4345659989]

Can anyone explain the reason for teaching maths like this now? And what I can do to help?

DD is currently in Yr2. She has struggled to keep up with maths since Reception. From Yr1 on there seems to have been an emphasis on learning 'number facts' by rote. I understand number bonds to 10, 20, 100 are useful as the basis of a lot of other maths, and after a lot of work she seems to have these more or less secure (a year after she was supposed to know them).

However I've just learned that since Yr1 they are also supposed to know other number facts by heart too, without having to work them out (like 2+3=5, 7+4=11, 6+6=12) and doubles including teen numbers (a recent homework asked her to double 12 and 15, which she was apparently supposed to know).

Times tables have also just started, which again they are supposed to learn off by heart with no calculation or going through the table. They need to be recalled as 'facts'.

DD simply doesn't seem to be able to learn like this, or not easily. I'm surprised by the lack of teaching strategies for addition, and insisting they just 'know' the number facts. Obviously as an adult I know most number facts automatically but surely this is due to a life of practice. I'm pretty sure I was never expected to know all this by heart at age 6, but apparently some (most?) of her classmates do.

It's very dispiriting for all of us and only seems a suitable teaching method for kids with very good recall, attention and quick processing.

Number facts are important. If they don't get it easily, then I think only way is repetition.

Use concrete objects. abacus, legos, sweets, anything. And I agree, they expect a lot from young children in UK.

But I really don't think it really matter in the long run, like my country(I am foreign), formal education start from 6/7.

The children who did great on ks1 sats doesn't always do good on ks2 sats.

So, I think you should encourage her to learn it, but you shouldn't get stressed out if she find it hard now. A lot of children click later.

Thanks. My feeling is she will eventually get it, but it's ruining her confidence but she simply doesn't at the moment. I don't understand why they have to know it all now to 'meet age related expectations'. I'm amazed what is expected at six!

She gets very upset if we try and practise at home, her confidence is very low.

Knowing number facts is of great benefit in life, and will make so many aspect of maths ‘automatic’, meaning the brain can be freed up for the problem solving/complex aspects. It’s common for number facts to be pushed in schools these days.

However, there is also a great deal of emphasis on understanding why you’re doing things, which is why so much of maths in Reception uses concrete objects (eg counters) or tools (such as Numicon). Only once a child has grasped the concept of adding should they learn addition facts. Only once a child has grasped the concept of multiplying should they learn their multiplication tables. Etc.

Is your DD secure in her understanding of what these number facts actually mean? If you gave her a pile of counters and asked her to show you that 3+5=8, could she do that? Could she do the same with 10x10=100?

Whether or not it is right your child will be doing a multiplication text at KS2. So schools are putting more emphasis on it. Although it is useful in life to know your times tables. Being able to recite the 1x2=2, 2x2=4 isn't as useful as knowing 6*7=42..... However, in order to support your child why not play lots of number games with them - my 6 nearly 7 year old loves playing pontoon - easy adding up to 21.....we play games with money, we have some times table games called Hoo Haa and Super Hoo Haa which involve times tables - but the emphasis when we play is on fun and winning not on maths. (Multiplication bingo can be fun too).

LetItGo yes, using resources she could show me those things, and could work them out. But if I ask her “what’s 3+5?” without using her fingers she wouldn’t have a clue. I’m not sure how these facts are supposed to lodge in the memory- by repetition of doing the sum, or drilling of them as ‘facts’ like high frequency words.

She could count in tens to get to 100, but wouldn’t remember ten tens are 100.

User I like the idea of games, but as DD doesn’t find these things easy she generally won’t want to do anything that involves adding up (she’s clever enough to know it’s still maths!)

What happens if this stuff doesn’t lodge in her mind by year 3? Do I need to get her a tutor? None of it seems to be ‘clicking’, and more and more keeps being added on top.

Play Dominoes with her. A lot. But don't talk about numbers at all. After you've played it a few times, just casually point out the patterns that the dots make. Any game that involves counting without her realising that's what she's doing will help. Even random things like building walls using different-sized lego bricks.

Let her use her fingers, you'd be surprised how many Maths undergrads do. Involve toes too and lend her your fingers and toes.

She might refuse to learn them until she understands the concepts. Keep on playing and counting, do teach her to play cards. It tends to click eventually.

Memorising maths facts is more akin to memorising spellings and has little to do with maths skills.

I couldn't learn these 'number facts' or times tables when au was at school and was mortified to be the last person to be able to do the test games we had to complete using them. I think it is harder work for some of us, but if she practices she will get there.

Don't let her be discouraged- I went on to do maths at University. She may not be the best at arithmetic but she will be good at other types of maths. If she works things out from scratch, she will be great at solving logical problems etc.

This does seem really early to me. I remember memorising times tables in year 5.

Organise a sweet shop at your home, smallest sweets you can find in jars.
Get some pennies and small change and play shops....
So a chocolate bar is 12p... 10 and 2... Ect..
She keeps pennies in a purse.

Percy Parker songs might help with times tables.

There are lot little on line games that use number facts.

For my younger children doing lots of sums in how the remembered these facts - we used mathsfactor but there are other on-line sites out there. With early stuff they often used Numicon shapes to help with the adding and subtracting or sometimes lego.

Same here Woolly

I did A-level maths and still used my fingers but our children's primary schools were dead against this though they were very keen on Numicon and number lines well past the point we'd have expected and my children found useful.

The children are however very fast now with timetables and other number "fatcs" they don't have to think at all - which is better long term I think.

junior monopoly is another good game. Any board game but have two dice rather than one so there's more adding up.

You could play a game highest throw wins with 4 dice (2 each).

You could expand the game and print out sets of numbers 1-10, shuffle and put into four piles and each turn over two each at a time highest wins.

Only play for a few minutes a time.

I'm a bit old school and like flash cards. Question one side, answer other. They get in right they get the card, hesitate or wrong and it goes to one side. No particular comments other than reading out the cards. Just a very quick flash through and slowly they go in. You can do around 10 randomly selected from a pile at a time and its over almost before they remember to winge.

My youngest likes to sneek the pile when she thinks I'm not looking and read all the answers - she thinks she's cheating and it works because over time she learns them.

It's fine to use her fingers. Ask her school what are they doing to support her... What additional interventions do they have planned. And what else can you do. (My kids liked rolling numbers to learn times table and Mr dear mayo songs.) - if school aren't concerned don't push too hard.

Thanks for all the great ideas!

Pest and Woolly thank you for your insights, I find that really heartening! I’m not sure I could have learned all these ‘facts’ by heart by six, but I certainly did eventually.

I think it’s the pressure that doesn’t help, and what I feel are developmentally very high expectations. We keep being told they ‘should’ be able to recall and use all these facts, they ‘should’ be able to spell a very wide range of words from memory, they ‘should’ be free reading chapter books by now. But it’s arbitrary, surely? In a lot of countries they’ll be expected to do it a year or two later and they’ll all end up at the same point by seconary age. Why kill their confidence with it all so young?

I have a maths degree. I am very in favour of good mental maths. I knew all my times tables by the time I was 7.

BUT

Both my DDs have SpLD which means they seem to be more or less unable to retain/recall/use basic maths facts. It didn't stop DD1 doing well in her maths GCSE though. (DD2 is a work in progress).
The amount of time we have wasted spent over the years trying to learn times tables and number bonds etc bares no resemblance at all to the (low) level of proficiency they have.

So it is worth trying (I would try board games e.g. snakes and ladders with 2 dice for 3+5=8), but also not worth getting stupidly stressed over. Proficiency of written methods is more key, even if they are still doing 7+6=13 on their fingers.

(Disclaimer: Maths is a lot easier if you do know the facts, especially times tables. But if they're not going in, focus on other things for a while. No point flogging a dead horse.)

why kill their confidence with it so young

Well yes, exactly. You need to ask the government that question. A few years ago, three or four, the curriculum was changed and maths was made more difficult for every year group. So times tables that would previously need to be learned by the end of year 6 now need to be learned by the end of year 4. Same for other number facts.
The idea being that if we put even more pressure onto children, then it’s all for the good so we can be as brilliant at educating our children as China is. Because worshiping the education system of an oppressive regime is obviously a really really good idea.

TeenTimes she does have some SpLD, and I have wondered if that’s the root of the issue. It seems such a sigular focus to learn things ‘by rote’ that swathes of intelligent children think they are stupid because this method doesn’t work for them.

nuffaluff in Reception they are currently doing what was started in Yr2 just 3-4 years ago. It makes no sense to me. So many aren’t ready.

Keep at it with the games, but only play them for 10-15 mins maximum. Make it fun. See if you can keep a score chart for you both, but where the scores are based on luck (rolling dice etc) rather than the actual skill of learning the facts/tables.

And be positive - praise effort and persistence rather than attainment. At school I dole out housepoints for effort and obviously enjoying the work as much (if not more) as for attainment!

I think it's part of the whole idea of nobody being left behind? They are constantly assessing bcse I guess the class sizes are so large now they can't identify who needs more help? Maths is definitely more advanced and broader than it used to be. Just wait until you cover two or three ways of multiplication. I was totally confused. I thought one method was enough, and teacher thought I was bonkers for suggesting one method may be less confusing? Times they have-a-changed....

@nuffaluff well said.

@bananahammock21 can your child estimate eg how many dots on a page, or where a number may fall on a line? This is quite important as it shows an understanding eg of the value of a number eg 10 is equal to ten dots. This should be mastered first.

Some aren’t ready - some are more than ready

You can’t please them all all the time

Try Yatzee number bond games dice games - it’s yhe only way to build confidence - and yes she’ll know it’s maths and realise it can be fun not work