Best way to teach/learn tables in yr3?

[bookwormmum]

I went to dd's parents evening tonight. Her literacy is fantastic - she reads fluently and reads her books aloud quite well. Her numeracy is another matter! She needs to learn her times tables. I struggled with maths myself at school - in fact my whole family favour literacy over numeracy - we're all bookworms! - but I want to break this vicious cycle. My xp is an accountant so he's got the numeracy thing.

What's the best way to help her learn the easy tables - 2, 5, 10 to start off with? I bought her a multiplication/division music tape some years ago which I play her in the car and she'd done loads of the work books you can buy but it doesn't seem to be 'sticking'. Any ideas? .

Sing them and do hand jiving.

Write them out on flipchart paper or back of old wallpaper and pin on doors where she can't miss them eg bathroom.

Try the internet. There are lots of fab games and activities if you know where to look. The best site I have found and used is www.topmarks.co.uk. Type "Multiplication tables " in the search box and it will direct you to lots of games and activities.(You can find loads of other activities for all sorts of subjects too.) Another brilliant game you can down load free is called "Timez attack "Can't remember where I found it but sure you can find it on google.

We bit the bullet in year 4 and 5 and just slogged at rote learning them. Lots of encouragement and bribery were the keys. And it made SUCH a difference to dd's maths! If you can bear it (not this early, but bear it in mind over the next few years!) try and learn them up to 15 times. Dd has always struggled with maths, but knowing her table really really thoroughly by year 6 made a huge difference to her confidence and her performance. It made her ace at mental maths, which boosted her no end! And the advantage it gives her has callied on into year 7 - she is keeping up, even though she is nowhere near as good a mathematician as some of her peers. There's no easy way, though - and it is hard work. But worth it!