My second grader has been having trouble with his math facts, need ideas to help him. . .?

Question

His problems are mostly with the math (addition) facts sheets and timed math fact tests in class, his teacher just called me and said that she thinks he has given up and he is saying he can't do it. She has tried taking away recess to try to get him to do his mathwork and today she has taken away his P.E. class (which he loves). She has tried getting him extra help from a third grade student and from the foster grandma in the classroom. We have worked with him at home trying different ways to encourage him. Any other ideas on how to help would be wonderful!!! Thanks
The teacher already has him doing the "touchpoint" math to help him, but it isn't doing enough.

Answer 1

This one is easy. Sit down with him. Explain that there are only 9 numbers. He is overwhelmed with it all. Make the problem only as big as it really is. And by the way, that teacher is a nut. She cannot do her job without resulting to punishment at the second grade level, you are kidding me. Spend some time with him. Be patient. You maybe the first one who has. It is a shame that it comes down to teaching our children ourselves but we do know them best. My son came home with this problem, the teacher said he was not fast enough. When I talked to my son about it, I found that he was actually mad because he had to do it again. He did it once. lol.. My daughter was sent home with a note about it too. Repetition and seeing the page as one problem at a time, instead of the whole page of problems. It is easy to be overwhelmed by so much work.

I recommend that with each new type of math problem you spend time with him. Learning the first time the right way is easy but reteaching him after he has been doing it the wrong way takes longer. If the teacher is not taking the time for this child to gain a solid grasp of the basics he will have a hard time from now on. With a little help from you, he can learn to master this with ease and gain some self worth in the process. One other question; is he left handed? I only ask this because left handed folks from time to time come about math solutions in a different way than their right handed counterparts. Kind of like the difference between seeing a glass half empty or seeing a glass half full. I personally got into alot of trouble finding a solution to a math problem in a different way than what the teacher taught. So... but I always got 100s. he he he ...

Answer 2

You can print up work sheets at math-drills.com. I use them for my third grade son and it really helps. He's good at math but has trouble with the timed tests. When he pratices at home it helps him to be prepared for the test. Flash cards are good too. Just spend some time with your son and he'll get it. Sometimes kids have trouble and the best thing to do is be there for him. Helps him along. I think taking things away from him at school is a bit harsh. I think you being there would be a great help for him.

Answer 3

mathblasters is a great computer game for kids. the teachers in our school use it and the kids love it. there are also good web sites out there for the same thing. if a kid says they can't do it, it usually means they don't get it. maybe he isn't grasping the concept.try going back to the bacics.
and it's wrong to take away his p.e. class.recess is okay but not the specials. that is part of the cirriculum. you have the final say in that. it sounds like the teacher is punishing him for not getting it and i can tell you from experience, that doesn't work and it certainly isn't encouragment. i know how frustrating this can be. i've been there. he'll get it. it just may take a little longer. hang in there.

Answer 4

Does he have any other problems in other areas, such as reading? I have mild dyslexia and while it never manifested itself with words, I am constantly switching numbers around in my head. For instance, if it's 4:30, I might read it as 3:40. That caused a lot of problems in my math classes. You might consider getting him tested for something like that.

What worked for me was using M&Ms. I could visualize the numbers that way, and didn't have to worry about getting them backwards. Repeating the equations out loud while adding and subtracting from the piles of M&Ms helped me memorize them. For instance, I'd have a pile of ten M&Ms, and my mom (or whoever) would take five away. I could actually SEE the math in progress, and as I counted the remaining M&Ms I would say "ten minus five is five." And I'd get to eat them M&Ms when I was done, so I loved practice. :)

On tests and other sheets, I would use tick marks to do similar visual representations (i.e. draw ten tick marks, add two more, that equals twelve). Some teachers/schools want children to straight up memorize the equations, which I personally think is silly, so talk to his teacher to see if she'd allow him a piece of scratch paper to work it out visually.

Answer 5

There are math songs available and school house rock videos at teaching supply stores. You can find a teaching supply store in most major cities. The songs work on the other side of the brain, so it is a completely different style of learning. If your son enjoys art he would probably take to this method better.

Answer 6

Practice at home with objects instead of flashcards. "3 blocks plus 8 blocks = how many blocks?"

With the timed tests, do they do a practice session first and then the timed test? That is what was happening in my son's first grade class last year and my son would never finish the test. We discovered that if he did the practice problems IN HIS HEAD instead of writing them down, he could finish the timed test. He was wearing his hand out trying to write so much so fast!

Answer 7

I think you can try using http://www.mathslice.com for math. Your 2nd grader can possibly enjoy some math games (though some are for higher grade levels). Online math at this website is good.

Answer 8

they elect to appreciate how lots money he spent on gasoline. If he offered 12 gallons for $2.72 a gallon, then multiply 12 X 2.72 and save the outcomes. Then he offered 13.5 gallons at $2.seventy 5 in keeping with gallon so multiply 13.5 X 2.seventy 5 and get the outcomes. then you definately upload the outcomes from the two one in all your multiplications at the same time and that's the entire he spent on gasoline.

Answer 9

when you work with him use flash cards. and every five or ten minutes let him take a break for about five minutes. do it with him every day and he should finally pick up on it. oh yeah DO NOT encourage counting fingers because he will make it a habbit and may still do it when he gets older.

Answer 10

Have you checked edhelpher.com, I have printed alot of fun learning sheets from there. Hope it helps......also there are some fun learning games for the computer.