Maths homework help please

Kids love all those tricks!! I used to pretend I didn't know the short cuts and they enjoyed showing me.

I would say another thing to make clear is the progression of numbers in times tables, i.e. explain that the number is growing by it's own value each time. I know that's not much help with the quick fire answers, but it does give the children an idea how the number has grown and where the answer might lie.

As for songs, Ginny, our daughter knew every word of all the Boyzone hits, but couldn't sing her tables!!??

Learning tables by rote is useful, if you can do it. Does the child actually understand that multiplication is only a shortcut to repeated addition? If you are trying to learn it as 'a thing to do' it is very hard, but if you know WHY it works it is so much easier.

Also...should have been 1+0 = 1

Think it's too early for this

Ooops! The asterisks should have made the middle digits bold.

Ignore the asterisks. I was trying to show that the middle digit is the sum of the two outside ones.

11 x table is easy up to 99, then:

10 x 11 (easy anyway), but:

1=0 = 1

Write 1*1*0

11 x 11

1+1 = 2

Write 1*2*1

12 x 11

1+2 = 3

Write 1*3*2

It's great if you're the kind of person who can remember tables easily, Nfk, but some children can't. Even when they do, they can't apply them when they're all mixed up. Some of these tricks are good for times when the memory fails.

Well I used to know my tables but that was 60 yrs ago.

My DGD has learned a method at school of counting the 9x on her fingers but I don't see the point as the only 9x you need to learn is 9x9. All the rest are learned as you go up the tables 8x9 is the same as 9x8 so you already know it from learning the 8x table.

My father also primed me by taking all the picture cards from a pack and making me add up all the rest. Once or twice every day. The shapes are there to help to start with. This meant that if asked for say 7x7 and I knew that 6x7 are 42 it took no time at all to add another 7 on.

Nine times table: Hold fingers up on both hands. 3 x9, put down finger number 3 answer is 2 (fingers to the left of the one that is down) and 7 on the right ...3x9 = 27. 8x9, hold down finger number 8 there are 7 to the left 2 to the right 8 x9 = 72 etc etc. Works for all the numbers in 9 times table up to 10x9.

daphne I never knew that about the 9x table!

Daphne I'm rubbish at remembering x tables. However, one that always sticks in my mind is 7x8=56 ?
My strategy which may help the children is to either turn the figures around as in 8x7 the answer dosen't spring to mind but 7x8 I know or if it's one I can't remember I go to one near that I can and mentally work from so e.g.
8x8 =64 I know
9x8 = 64+8
I hope that makes sense.

Make sure the 10 x table is rock solid. Then it can be used as a base for 9 x and 11 x.

eg.

8 x 9 = 8 x 10 - 8

8 x 10 = 80

80 - 8 = 72

The answer to anything mulyiplied by 9 can be checked, because the digits should add up to 9.

eg 7 + 2 = 9

I expect you'll find something if you Google. The most difficult one is the 7 x table. The one that is least successfully answered in quickfire tests is 7 x 8.

Has your DGS been taught 'tricks' for 5 x table, such as adding a nought and halving, or the 11 x table. My children are much quicker at tables than I am, because they were taught all sorts of these 'tricks' (and because their brains are more agile). If they were here, I'd ask them how they do it.

As I wrote, the 7 x table is the hardest and probably just needs to be drilled over and over again.

If anyone has any ideas I'd be grateful too. My DGD age 10 has similar difficulties. She's doing long multiplication, and is struggling.