Teaching kids multiplication can be a ‘bear’ of a task and overwhelming at times. I’ve heard time and time again from parents that they just don’t know how to get their child motivated to learn them.
According to Andrew Cross…practicing multiplication through rhymes might be the best way for kids to learn. He compares it to a strategy that Shurley Method used to teach english in many American schools. She relied on rhyme, jingles and short songs to help kids retain information.
As a literacy specialist I see this all the time. When I work with kindergartners and first graders I see great success when I add in a rhyme whether it’s with sneaky y or magic e….it just sticks.
Now, this might not be for everyone, I get it. Differentiation is key in all areas of teaching. Offering hands on models for kids to manipulate, teaching them tricks to help them remember and recall them faster are helpful. Offering daily number talks with students has been found to be extremely beneficial as well – giving them engaging activities that involve critical thinking has shown a link to a stronger math presence.
Columbia research suggests creating a clever phrase to help kids remember facts. To help amplify learning another idea is to incorporate the numbers into a short story ( adding a rhyme makes it ‘stick’ even more )
Obviously, looking for patterns such as teaching your child when multiplying by 4’s… it’s as easy as doubling numbers. Just take the number being multiplied by 4 and double it twice.
With all that being said, I want to share a product I created that has been beneficial to almost 500 teachers around the world. The reviews echo the same sentiment:
These easy to remember, fun to say chants with the visual picture – images along with words/numbers etc. are the simpliest and most effective way to make sure information gets stored as long term memory.
Well, these mini posters do just that. There are several options too. They can be bound and made into a book ( Staples ), print out the smaller versions and put on a ring by set: 1’s, 2’s, 3’s, etc.
or just print and put in plastic sleeves for them to use and read during math centers.
I have found success with them bound in a book and we say them during the few extra minutes we have before recess or waiting in line for an assembly etc.
Find it here
Distance learning got you down?!?!
Don’t worry – I’ve created these SAME rhymes and chants in powerpoint. You can have your students scroll through the chants and say them aloud. Also you can project it for when you go back to school, my students loved chanting them from the smartboard.
Click HERE for it
So…if you are worried about your own child falling behind or not picking up their facts quickly enough…or you need to best meet the needs of your students you definitely want to check these out and see what all the ‘hype’ is about.
These are for sure super helpful in helping your children LEARN and MEMORIZE their facts. If you need multiplication practice for your students I also have these available in my store:
and more found here
Do yourself a favor and check out Mr. Demaio on you tube, he has the BEST multiplication videos that your kids will beg for everyday!!!
Hope these tips help and if you have some tried and true favorites or links share them below.
Happy teaching!
xo,
