Math Games

Archive for October, 2009

Question: how to help my struggling son succeed in third grade?

My child is 9 yrs. old he was retained in first and in second they just transferred him to third i thougt it was a bad idea but because of his age they thought it was appropriate. Now he is lost. Hes having so much trouble understanding multiplication. He was tested and hes at a second grade reading and math level. He doesnt play video games or watch tv. i dont know what else to do. Please how can i help my son?

Answer: Multiplication is not hard to teach. Begin with the easy concept, that mulitplication is "groups of" things added together. For example, 2 groups of 5 = 10. Begin teaching him at home using some of his small toys to show him how. Explain that he can read the problem: 3 x 4 as "3 groups of 4" rather than "3 times 4". That can help him understand.

Then have him memorize the multiplications facts for 0-12. He will easily learn the x0 facts and the x1 facts. (0 groups of anything is 0 and 1 group of anything is the number of that thing itself.) Then start with the x5 and x2 facts.

Say: show me how much 3 groups of 5 is. Have him count the toys into 3 piles with 5 each. When he has this concept down, then write the facts on cards, with the fact on one side and the answer on the other.

Do this with all the multiplication facts for a number 0-12. Write them both ways, so that each fact has 2 cards:

2 x 5 and 5 x 2.

Let him figure them out with groups of toys first, then without. Drill them each day until he knows what they are. Then move onto another set of facts, like the x2 facts, the x3 facts, etc. REWARD him with a small immediate reward when he gets them right.

I hope this helps.

Math Fractions : Third Grade Fraction Games