The point of this post is to share with others things that have worked for me. Some will be related to building a start up, others to how to try and remain sane, this one deals with kids and times tables! If you hated times tables at school, that pain is nothing compared with having to teach them to your kids!
I recently posted on a Facebook group and got 100's of Likes and comments for a quick and simple game my son and I invented. I have since had emails and messages asking me to share it again as people couldn’t save the post. So here is the game and how to play it. I hope your kids enjoy it as much as mine do!
It was a Sunday afternoon and I knew that my sons, aged 6 and 8, needed to do Maths practise. My heart sank at the thought of the usual ‘sit at the table, hold your pencil properly, no you aren’t too tired, no, you don’t need the loo’ arguments. So I decided to make it a bit different this time. And my 8yr old was only too keen to help!
You aren’t interested in the back story though — and probably don’t have a lot of time so here is the game in all it’s glory.
1. Draw a grid- draw round Post-it notes. I stuck a few pages together to be able to make a grid big enough to hold 24 sums. Draw one square for the sum and one square for the answer.
2. Write out a list of the sums you want your child to do. (This will help you keep track — especially when they interrupt you setting up the game to ask for biscuits.)
3. Write out the sum and answers SEPARATELY on Post-it notes. Try to use lots of different colours as this adds to the experience. (NB — if you have more than one child, write each child’s initial on the bottom of the sum meant for them.)
4. Mix up the sums and answers and stick them up ALL OVER the house. We had some inside the shower, on windows, as well as in their rooms.
5. Build tension. Line the kids up, show them their empty grids. Give them a count down… 3,2,1 AND THEY’RE OFF!
There you have it. That’s the game. It has worked repeatedly. And not just for us — one mother told me she used raisins to reward her kids for creating successful pairs.
As an ex-teacher I could explain about kinaesthetic learning, I could tell you how movement adds to blood flow to the brain, I could tell you that by making it different they will the information retain better. However, as a parent I know it is more important to tell you that they spent half an hour chasing around the house shouting, “Where is 81?”, “Have you seen a 12?”... “Yay I found more sums!!!!!”
