(This is called the zero-product property of multiplication.)Įncourage him or her to find examples of this property around them. Instead, it follows predictable patterns that they can learn and remember.ĭon’t have a multiplication chart? We have free printable multiplication charts in several colors.Įxplain to your child that when any number is multiplied by 0, the answer is always 0. The goal is to help kids understand that multiplication is not a random operation. For example, you might guide him or her to see that every multiple of 10 ends in 0, or that every multiple of 5 ends in 0 or 5. Teach your child how to use the chart to find products by following the rows and columns of the factors.Įncourage your child to find some of the patterns in the chart. Multiplication charts are a very adaptable tool for helping kids see the patterns in multiplication. Kids will quickly see the connection between 2 pieces of candy for each sibling and the multiplication problem 3 x 2.ĭon’t miss this! CTCMath has a free online math tutorial that introduces multiplication as repeated addition. For example, you might say, “I want to give you, your brother, and your sister each 2 pieces of candy. Remember to also relate the problems to real life if you can. Draw a picture, pull out the math manipulatives, or form arrays to demonstrate the repeated addition. Demonstrate how 3 x 2 is the same as 2 + 2 + 2.ĭon’t just use words. Since multiplication is fundamentally repeated addition, help kids to see that relationship. Keep those flash cards out of sight for now! Don’t try to start with memorizing the facts. When it comes to teaching the times tables, it is so important to keep first things first. How to Teach the Times Tables Effectively 1. Learning multiplication facts in a real-life context will usually be a much more effective starting point than flash cards. Research has shown that kids are much more likely to retain information (like the elusive multiplication facts) if they are meaningfully engaged while learning it. Practice and drill undoubtedly have their place in fact mastery, but if you start the learning process there, it’s going to be a lot more tedious and stressful than it needs to be. Here’s the thing, though: Rote memorization is probably the least effective way to develop mastery of the times tables. Many people assume that mastering multiplication facts requires rote memorization (flashback to the not-so-beloved flash cards of my childhood). □ TIP: Use these multiplication coloring worksheets to make fact practice fun! Does rote memorization REALLY work? True fact mastery includes rapid recall of each fact in the times tables (typically within 3 seconds or less), allowing students to free up space in the brains to understand and apply more advanced math concepts. When too much of the working memory is being used for basic math calculations, there is very little mental space left for completing multi-step procedures like reducing fractions or working long division problem. Why? Much like a computer, the human brain has a limited amount of working memory (think RAM here). Without mastery of basic multiplication facts, kids will struggle with larger problems or more abstract math concepts. Learning the times tables is one of the most important skills that elementary students need to master. This switch to mental math instead of concrete math can be challenging, but it is an important step toward being able to solve more complex problems.ĭid you know? CTCMath has a fun online times table game to help make fact practice fun! Is it really important to master the times tables? After all, it’s not very practical to figure out the product of 9 x 9 with fingers or objects, right? Now, though, they have to learn to figure out math problems in their head. Until this point, they could count on their fingers or count actual objects (such as crayons or counting bears) to help them add or subtract. Multiplication is a pivotal point in elementary math when students move from simple, concrete operations to more abstract math problems. Why does learning the times tables seem hard? See my Disclosure Policy for more information. I was compensated for my time writing this post.
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