Tips on teaching addition

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Forum -> Parenting our children -> School age children

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tzatza

Tue, Nov 10 2009, 8:53 pm

My 3rd grader needs some help adding / substracting numbers. He still uses his fingers a lot. I would like to find some interactive way to help him memorize (I.e. 7+9=16, etc).

Any tried-and-true methods?

TIA

Annie ↓

Tue, Nov 10 2009, 9:59 pm

Flashcards. My dd had issues (and still has some with subtraction) memorizing her addition facts. It didn't help that school was teaching math "holistically" so they should learn what it means, when all I wanted was for her to memorize the facts. At some point they just have to memorize them.

I am now going through this with my 2nd grader who gets addition but can't seem to get subtraction at all.

imasinger

Tue, Nov 10 2009, 10:33 pm

There are math songs that are good for memorizing; you can google it.

I like them to learn how to work with 10's -- 7 + 8 = (8+2) + (7-2=5) = 15. Once they get the idea of figuring out how close a number is to 10, and then balancing the other side, it goes much quicker.

btMOMtoFFBs ↓

Tue, Nov 10 2009, 10:45 pm

Hi tzatza

DH and I have a math education web site that gives parents guidance on what math skills their children should know in each grade and tips on how to master those skills. (PM'ing you the web site address so it won't be like I'm advertising it here.)

The problem is probably not with your son's abilities, but that he never gets enough practice in addition and subtraction with regouping in school or at home with homework.

The best advice is not to go for any tricks to learn the addition and subtraction, but to do tons and tons of practice with the hundreds of years old, tried-and-true method of regrouping and memorizing the math facts.

That's really the only way any real skill is mastered and retained is through practice, and not shortcuts or tricks.

↑ Annie

Tue, Nov 10 2009, 11:54 pm

hey, can you pm me that website also? (says the very frustrated mom who spent 1/2 hr explaining a fact family to her 7 yr old - who is a really bright kid and who couldn't figure out why he couldn't do math)