Throwing out the flashcards

2+7=9 How do we know this? For many of us, all we have to do is look back into our mind’s eye (or in other words, our visual memory) and retrieve this information. However, some of us may have to count on our fingers to get this answer. Why? Because we’ve never been able to store this visually and have had to rely on another coping mechanism to come up with the answer.

Do you have children who consistently need to do this? If so, they will need to strengthen their visual memory in order to hold onto these facts. Unfortunately, many of us try to use flash cards to do this. Flashcards work for very few children as they work the weakest form of memory—our rote memory. There are much better ways to get math facts to “stick.’ Here are a few tips:

1. To help your child to visualize a fact, have them create the fact by using paint, clay, or chalk. They may draw the actual numbers creatively, or may actually show two objects plus seven objects. Have your child make two creations a day and ALWAYS review the former day’s work. Students can take photos of their creations and make a Math Fact Scrap Book. The key to this technique is to continually review the creations and have your child tell them to you from memory.
2. The musical learners often like to learn math facts through rhythm and song. Students can create their own songs or can find them on line or in teacher stores. (I recommend Teaching Treasures on 41st street in Sioux Falls.)
3. Kinesthetic learners learn best by making and playing games that have math facts in them. Many of these are introduced to students in our Math Fact Boot Camp.
4. Creating and reading stories is another great way to get those math facts to stay put. Addition and Multiplication the Fun Way can be found online at www.citycreek.com or at Teaching Treasures in Sioux Falls. The key to these stories is for parents and read the story to the child while showing the child the picture. The student then visualizes and holds the picture in his/her mind’s eye. This is one of my favorite techniques and it is amazing how well it works!

My final tip regarding math facts is this… listen to your child as you are discovering how he/she learns best. The methods that your teachers used may have been helpful to you, but may not necessarily be the most helpful to your child.