What is the easiest way to teach an 8 yr old multiplication?

Question

My 8 yr old is having a very difficult time in learning multiplications. I think he's the slowest one in his class. I've tried showing him different ways to do it but he can't get it. His teacher is no help.He's struggling right now & there's no tuturing after school. He's also lagging behind in reading in his grade level. I think he has a short attention in his class. I think his mind wonders when his teacher is talking & he can't be still.

Answer 1

Memorization through repetition is the best way, but help him learn some strategies so that he is able to figure it out until he can memorize them. I teach 4th grade and these are the strategies I remind my students of every single time: adding, make a picture, make an array. To make things easier, let's just use the problem 2x3. Adding would be done by either adding two threes (3+3) or three twos (2+2+2). For making a picture, have him draw either two circles and put three dots in each or three circles with two dots in each, and then count the total amount of dots. To make an array, bascially he will be making a recatangle using dots. He needs to be very neat and precise when doing this or it will be harder and he'll be more likely to mess up. Make a row of 2 dots across and counting the corner dot both directions make a column of three dots going down. If it is done neatly, he can then make dots to fill in the rows. Then count the dots. Of course, this can also be done with 3 in the row and 2 in the column. I review those strategies with my students every single time we do multiplication in class. Obviously, eventually it's best to memorize, but some students just aren't ready for it yet. Whenever I am asked for help I make the student choose which method he/she wants to use and have him/her begin on it before I assist. After a short while, all of my students are able to at least use those stratgies pretty effectively on their own. Have your son use one of those until he's ready to memorize. You can also check the Scholastic website in the teachers section. There's a book called Tunes that Teach Multiplication. If you are able to buy it as a parent, I would recommend it. Children often do better with memorizing when it's part of a song. Consistent practice should help your son catch up after a while. If you work with him just 5-30 minutes a night on multiplication, you should start seeing results not too long from now. Good luck!

Answer 2

Try teaching him skip-counting first. That means, teach him to count by 2s, count by 5s, count by 3s (in that order). Then teach him to count by 9s. That's easy because you can set up the answers by writing them vertically 0-9, top to bottom, then 0-9 bottom to top, like this. First write 0-9 top to bottom.

0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Now, beginning at the 9, write a 0 after it. At the 8, write a 1 after it; at the 7, write a 2 after it, and so forth until you get

09
18
27
36
45
54
63
72
82
90

That will usually help kids visualize skip counting 9s in their heads.

Then teach the doubles (2x2, 3x3, 4x4, 5x5, etc.)

Then teach counting by 4s (which is the same as skip counting by 2s, only skip every other one).

So, now he will know his 2s, his 3s, his 4s, his 5s, and his 9s. Sixes are easy because they are 3s with only a few extra to learn.

That leaves a few of the 7s because once he learns those, he will know his 8s.

If you use a system (like this or others), it will help him visualize the facts so that he's not just rote memorizing them with nothing to cognitively hang them on.

Answer 3

It sounds like you have concerns about your son's abilities in school. Ask your school's guidance counselor to have him tested for learning disabilities/ADHD. Even if he doesn't qualify for additional help, you'll at least have a better understanding of his individual needs.

As for learning multiplication, there are so many different methods that it can seem too overwhelming for a student if all the methods are presented. How is he tested on his facts? Is it on paper or is it done orally? Whatever the form of testing, that's how he should be studying. If he's being tested on paper, he should be writing his facts down often. If he's being tested orally, he should be quizzed orally. This can easily be done in the car on the way to places, while you're cooking dinner, etc. Flash cards are usually pretty effective for most students once they've learned the order of the facts (1x1, 1x2, 1x3, etc). Does your son understand the concept of multiplication? That it's just repeated addition? Perhaps you can show him this with something simple like uncooked pasta. Have him group the pasta into groups of the same amount and write down as he does it what the multiplication fact is for them. Work with one fact group at a time (1's, 2's, 5's, 10's, and 11's are the easiest) and work up his confidence in that group. I realize I just said too much information can be overwhelming and then gave you lots of different approaches. Choose one or two that you think will work best for your son and go from there. Multiplication is basically just memorizing the same thing over and over again. Appeal to his personal senses with how he goes about memorizing and he'll get it. Don't show your frustration with him- it'll just frustrate him more.
As for the teacher being no help with multiplication, there's sincerely not enough time for a teacher to spend helping someone memorize something. School should be reserved for learning concepts, not memorizing facts. That's something that can be done on one's own time. Multiplication is one of those things you really should learn (it is used for so many different reasons in life), but it's just memorization. There's just too much in the 3rd grade math curriculum for teachers to cover to then spend lots of time in class helping kids memorize facts. Good luck!

Answer 4

Ok, well theres many ways to teach them...lets use 3 x 5 as an example

1: you can take his favorite food. and make up a story problem like-

You have 5 jelly beans. ____ comes along and wants to add his/her 5 jelly beans. Then ____ comes along and adds another 5 jelly beans. How many jelly beans are there all togehter. And since he'll probably just count, explain how you can multiply

2. You can tell him to count either 3 sets of 5, 3 times or vice versa.

3. You can try the sylvin learning center, it does help.

4. You could always motivate him with stuff (not like bribing) but motivation and even if he doesn't get it just keep pusing him.

Answer 5

His mind wanders because he is frustrated. This is how
I teach students. If he has to figure out 6x7 then have
him go back to what he knows and count up. Ex:
6x5= 30 30+6=36, 36+6=42 6x7=42. Meanwhile,
buy some plain index cards and write a problem on one
side and the answer on the other side. Then drill him
everyday. By going over it everyday he will get better.
Try this web site for some worksheets: www.abcteach.com. Good luck. p.s. Have your son evaluated by a counselor. He could be ADHD.

Answer 6

get marilyn burns grade 3-4 multiplication and go through every lesson with him. there are a lot of great games and activities that make sense of multiplication.

tell him it's repeated adding
ex.

2+2+2=6
is the same as 3 groups of 2
is the same as 3 times 2
draw pictures

MEMORIZE THE FACTS THROUGH 12
it will really help with long multiplication and long division later on.

good luck and take your time.

Answer 7

I think epitition is the best way. After he memorizes it it then becones "mindless" and he will be able to bring it to mind anytime he needs it. We taught our kids this way while we were on a roadtrip.

2 x 1 is 1
2 x 2 is 4
2 x 3 is 6, etc, kind of in a "sing song' way. Probably you should teach him only one table a week or longer until he knows it. Our kids loved doing it and all through school they were way ahead of their peers in that category even though my kids didn't get top grades. They are very sucessful adults today.

Answer 8

If he's having that much difficulty, I would start off with flash cards, just so he can be familiar with how to do it. Then, just work up to whatever kind of multiplication he's learning in school, and take it slow. I used to have trouble with multiplication at that age too...

Answer 9

As a 1st grade teacher, I do not recommend your son learn multiplication yet. He needs to focus on adding and subtracting at this point. Our school does not start multiplications until late 3rd grade into 4th grade.
As far as his reading, that is something to watch. Either he is bored b/c he can already do it or just the opposite and he can't do it and therefore tunes her out.
You can have him tested for ADD by your doctor if you think that might be his problem.

Answer 10

repetition, repetition, Repetition!
Work on the families one at a time. Start with the doubles,
2x2, 3x3,4x4.... then do the 5 family, using nickels.
make him flash cards, but the best thing he can do is memorize them. A great web site to use is www.aaamath.com and click multiplication . This is repetition and they can practice just one set of families at a time.