Kids Numbers

I had a friend ask me to find some times table games to help her kids. Times table facts can be very difficult to memorize and the only way this can be done is through memorization and practice. It's not a lot of fun to sit and practice over, and over, and over again so lets make it fun.

Most teachers use flashcards to help kids memorize their facts. This is well, boring. It's not fun to practice the same facts. Make it fun. Have them race against you and see who can get the answer first. They can also beat the clock. Have them set a goal to and see how many they can get in a minute. If they reach their goal reward them with something like a piece of candy, a high five, extra TV or Computer time. Rewards definitely work better than punishing them for getting the answer wrong.

I also found this kidsnumbers.com site which has games to help with addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, telling time, geometry, and algebra. Each unit has a week by week lesson along with a group of games. I haven't played all the games but I found that some of the games and lessons were good and fun, and others I didn't like so much.

Here are some of the games under the multiplication tab that I like.

All the odd weeks are a games called apple baskets. The game asks you to type in how many baskets there are then how many apples are in the basket. This game teaches the basics of multiplication. We understand the 1X7= is one group of 7 but kids don't see the problems that way.

The even weeks are mostly different. They begin with patterns which just shows them the facts. The first few just show the numbers and ask your child to say it with them. I like week 8 where they are asked to fill in the numbers.

I also really like week 14. This is the times table grid. I would race my student on paper to see who could complete their grid first. If they beat me they got a candy bar of their choice. I think only 1 ever beat me but boy did they work hard get faster so they could get that reward (and bragging rights that they beat Ms. Kierston).

Week 16 and 17 put everything together. Week 16 gives them the problem as well as the visual to help them solve the problem and week 17 just shows the tree and the problem.

If they get an answer wrong then they get to try again. These aren't timed they are just there to help them learn their facts.

There are other games and most of them are good. I found Math Frog Multiplication difficult to get the frog to jump to the correct answer and I didn't see any Math in Moon Math except for the space ship counting down as it few if you went too high. I really liked Timed Multiplication. You get to pick how long you have to answer your questions and the highest number the game will give you so if you only know everything up to 5's you can practice those and don't have to worry about getting a 12X 11.

These games are great for those beginning to learn about times tables so second and third graders. Older kids would have fun challenging themselves with the games but wouldn't enjoy the week to week stuff.