How is the best way to memorize the time tables?

Question

Because my daughter, she is having a lot of problems with the time tables.

Answer 1

I think some really enjoy School House Rock.

Repetition is probably the key, though. I had a student using a hand held "game" that he took home with him (I'm not sure what the brand is, but it wasn't that expensive). Poor thing got in trouble at lunch until they found out it was a teaching tool (He had the sound on.) He really did use it to practice and his skills improved tremendously.

So there it is - practice and repetition.

Answer 2

I developed a lot of little quiz for these tables.

1) 1234 12=3x4
5678 56=7x8


2) 321 7x3=21
432 8x4=32

324,8x3=24

3) 6x0 = -- 0
6x2 = -- 2
6x4 = -- 4
6x6 = -- 6
6x8 = -- 8

6x10 = -- 0

Then you complete the -- with : 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6



The rest of the 6 table is easy: you already know 6x1m, 6x3 6x3 and 6x9 from other tables. So: the only result that is missing is 6 x 7.



But 6x7 - 42, and 4 + 2 = 6! Istn this funny?


4) There is a symmetry in the case of the 9 time table:

09
18
27
36
45
=====
54
63
72
81
90

And 2 + 7 = 9, 3 + 6 = 9, etc



Ana

Answer 3

The only 'trick' that I know of in the times tables is that if you multiple 9 times a number between 2 and 9 inclusive, the result will be a 2 digit number whose first digit is 1 less than the number multiplied and the sum of the digits will be 9.

9*3 = 27 2 is 1 less than 3 and 2+7=9
9*6 = 54 5 is one less than 6 and 5+4=9
etc.

There are probably more such 'tricks', but the real key is practice, practice, and practice.


Doug

Answer 4

You mean multiplication Tables?

Make her understand 'multiplication is the short form of addition

2 ones are 2
2 twos are 4 (2+2)
2 threes are = 6 (2 + 2 + 2) or (4 + 2)
2 fours are 6+2 = 8 this way first make her understand the concept.

Then she'll be able to make her multiplication tables.

Ask her to prepare tables of 3, 4, 5 etc etc

This is the easiest way to learn with understanding.

Answer 5

Great question!

She needs to appreciate that multiplication is really addition!

She also needs a confidence boost. . .a reminder (each step of the way) of what she knows. . .bringing her that much closer to mastery!

For starters:

Multiples of 1, 5, 10, and 11 are easy. . .think about it!

And many of the others are closely related:

2, 4, 6 (is 1x, 2x, 3x). . .3, 6, 9 (is 1x, 2x, 3x).

To my sense, the most difficult multiples are 7 and 12 (why? because 7 is not related to the other factors. . .and 12 is perhaps too much scale).

You might also want to try another math practice book (that's NOT from school - see Costo/Sam's Club/Barnes & Noble/Borders). . .to supplement what she is otherwise doing.

Although I am not a school teacher (but a father of two boys - including a soon-to-be 4th grader). . .I don't believe it is ideal to "force" learning via flash cards. . .but rather problems on paper, supplemented by flash cards and other aides.

Finally. . .be patient. . .she ultimately needs to do this for herself. . .and to "see" the relationships that one number has with another. . .which is a much more powerful concept for her to learn than simply memorization! And once she's got it. . .she will never forget it. . .having learned it this way.

Best wishes to you both. . .have a great (upcoming) school year!

Answer 6

I learned my time tables the best with flashcards. Because they can't really be memorized through word plays, etc., just flat-out memorization was the way to go for me. It also helps to have sticky notes around the house in places she goes to often with a couple multiplication problems.

Exposure of these numbers, little by little, can prove effective.

Answer 7

Practice and repetition. While this can be accomplished with flash cards or problem sheets, they aren't the most engaging medium.

I suggest a computer game like one they had when I was a child ... asteroids you had to shoot with the correct answer to destroy them. It'd be fun, give an incentive to learn the multiplication tables (to do better at the game), provides immediate feedback (wrong answer doesn't result in a hit), and also helps to familiarize her with computers and the keyboard ... both skills she will likely need as our society becomes more dependent upon computing for even remedial tasks.

Answer 8

My foundation was built when our Primary 3 maths teacher ask us to write time tables as practice and punishment. However, it will also require interest since i took the initiative to practice up to 24 instead of 12 time table.

Answer 9

my grade 3 teacher taught us songs for the 6, 7 and 8 times tables...i'm in year 9 now and they still help!

Answer 10

My mother is a teacher and I had issuse with this too when I was growing up. But every day she wrote the set I needed to learn (1s, 2s etc) and she would quiz me on them. If I still had trouble with it, we'd do it the next day, until I knew the whole set by heart. then we could move onto the next one. Takes a little time and paitence, but it's a necessary evil.