Drilling math facts

[momtoboyz]

How do you drill math facts? Flash cards, copywork, songs, games, drill sheets,.....? I need to drill addition, subtraction, and skip counting for my 7 year old. I just got calculadders but also would like something more systematic to do daily? Should I just make him say it or write it daily? And for a beginning second grader, how high should he be able to add/subtract up to? 100?
Thanks for your help.

[Ohio12]

Mine is a little younger than yours. Almost 6. But I had to put in a plug for the Skip Count Kids CD. I downloaded it off Amazon and now even my 3 yo can sing all the skip counts. The songs are really catchy.

As far as drilling. the most recent consensus I have gotten on here is to do math almost everyday using a curriculum like Saxon or Abeka, letting them use manipulatives to figure out the problems. Then drill using flashcards until they get it. People have told me not to drill too much with my 5/6 yo (some say not to drill at all yet). I don't know when they would say you should hit that hard. Maybe someone else will weigh in. Do you have a math curriculum?

[Linda...inOwasso]

I highly recommend drilling math facts daily (as a separate subject than math concepts.) I use drill worksheets from Susan C. Anthony and they are wonderful! Each sheets has 100 problems. They're incremental, starting with +0 & 1 then +2 then + 0 - 2, etc... The child gets the same sheet every day until he/she can score 100% in less than 3 min. Then, he/she moves up to the next sheet. They are super easy to grade because the page is well laid out. The website is: www.susancanthony.com/

Flashcards would work, but I prefer worksheets because they require solitary focus. My dd's do them first thing in the morning Mon - Fri. Consistency is the key. It may not be exciting, but it's certainly effective. My dd's know their math facts!

BTW, on our worksheets, the highest single addend is 10 so the maximum sum is 20. If they have these facts down cold, they'll be abel to calculate the higher ones quickly!

Good luck! :)

[In The Great White North]

We did them orally in the car.

After they knew them, we started doing timed math sheets, which were basically a page full of math facts they wrote the answers to. I gave them 2 minutes, and counted up how many they got right.

The goal was to go as fast as you could write, without having to stop to think at all.

[momtoboyz]

i'm using Calculadders right now. is that similar to susananthony?

i guess i'm looking for a way for my son to memorize his facts, a way for them to have it down cold.

[Karen in CO]

We use card games for addition and subtraction, and a bean bag for skip counting. We count up and down passing the bean bag back and forth. It is pretty hard to count backwards by 7. Try it. My dd thinks its funny when I miss one. We have started having to have an arbitrator watch us. ;) My mom sits and giggles at us while we practice. If my dd questions an answer, then she peeks at Grandma who nods yes or no. I am going to try the Muggins Math board games to add more variety to our practice.

[TXMomof2]

We reinforce math facts with games. I found that my ds could memorize the facts, but went blank when he sat down w/ pencil & paper. The games have helped combine the two concepts.

[ElisabethGrace]

I second the Skip Count Kids. We also use Flashmaster.

HTH:001_smile:

[MomOfOneFunOne]

I second daily drill. It ain't pretty but it's effective. We drill flashcards and then do a drill sheet. We do it everyday first thing in math and then go on to our lesson.

[FloridaLisa]

I need to drill addition, subtraction, and skip counting for my 7 year old. I just got calculadders but also would like something more systematic to do daily?

My all-time favorite skip counting activity is to get about ten 100 boards. Prepare them like this:

1) On the first, color in every even number.
2) On the second, color in every odd number.
3) On the third, color in every 3rd number (3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 .....).
4) On the fourth, color in the 4's (4, 8, 12, 16, .....).
5) On the fifth, color in the 5's and 10's.
6) On the sixth, color in the 6's (6, 12, 18, 24 ......).
7) On the seveth, color in the 7's (7, 14, 21, 28 ....).
8) On the eighth, color in the 8's (8, 16, 24, 32 ....).
9) On the ninth, color in the 9's (9, 18, 27, 34 ....).

Save the last for a plain 100 board. And we used a different color (Sharpie) for each number board to make each distinct.

I saw this long ago from a vendor with tons of math manipulatives and it continues to be one of our most-used supplements. Best of all, it's easy and inexpensive. ;)

HTH!
Lisa

[Jen3boys]

My boys use the Flashmaster.

[bethben]

We use Flashmaster also. It's easy for me to assign certain "flash cards" to ds and he can do them without me having to be there.
Beth