Learning multiplication tables is crucial for future math success. It is important to reinforce and practice these skills at home. Multiplication is used in daily life and can make simple tasks easier. If a child struggles with memorization, it may suggest a learning disability. Games and software programs can make learning multiplication fun.
Along with reading, writing and arithmetic, your second or third grader will start learning multiplication tables. Some are naturally into multiplication, while others struggle with the concept. Teachers often depend on parents to reinforce and help children practice these skills at home.
Learning the multiplication tables is important. It’s a bit like learning to walk before running. Running builds on what you already know about walking, incorporating the ideas of balance, weight shift, and stepping feet forward. From the time these tables begin to be taught, material on multiplication and division is incorporated frequently into mathematics. It is quite difficult to do double digit multiplication, unless you can understand and know how to do single digit multiplication. The ability to do multiplication easily is also the foundation for learning division. A child without good multiplication skills will be puzzled when long division makes its appearance in the fourth or fifth grade.
In essence, then, learning multiplication tables prepares one to perform more difficult tasks in the future in more advanced mathematics. Failing to understand and memorize at least the multiplication tables from 1 to 10 will make future math much more difficult than it should be.
Besides the application of multiplication tables in schools, we often use multiplication in our lives. We might need it to double a cake recipe, calculate the discount on a sale item, or decide how many tables we need for a sit-down party. The ease with which this can be accomplished for someone who knows their multiplication is far better than the person who has to sit down and really think about this; these simple jobs can be done quickly and waste less of our time.
Of course, these arguments may not work for a child who has difficulty learning times tables. In some cases, an inability to memorize can suggest learning disabilities. If you’ve been working consistently with a child to help them memorize multiplication facts and they still can’t, it’s a good idea to talk to the teacher about possible tests for learning disabilities or disabilities. Another thing to keep in mind when supporting your child in his education is that negative emotions reduce learning. Stress, conflict, or anxiety can actually prevent new information from being memorized. For this reason, it’s important to support your child rather than chastise him, and to encourage him rather than criticize him.
Some children respond to games that incorporate multiplication. These can also be moments of bonding with a child rather than a struggle to get him to learn. Some teachers suggest times tables warfare. Instead of laying down one card, players lay down two each. The highest product takes all cards. Another fun and easy way to practice is to ask a child to roll two dice and calculate the product of the numbers that come up. Other children enjoy the many software programs that aid in memorizing times tables, often aided by cute animals or favorite TV characters. Of course, there are also old-fashioned flash cards, which can be used alone or in company to reinforce and memorize multiplication facts.
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