How can I help my brother learn his mulitplication?

Question

My brother is going to 4th grade but last year he barely passed and he still doesn't know his times tables. We only have a month before school starts and I know he will fail division if he doesn't know multiplication. My mom is frustrated and doesn't know how to help him because he is autistic and he has problems paying attention. Do you have any ideas or tips on how to teach him or maybe links to a website with games or something. My parents were looking at JumpStart but we can't find it. Any suggestions please?

Answer 1

You need to show him how it is addition:

Example:  7x4 = 7+7+7+7

                            

When he gets to the higher numbers I found this useful when I was in school. Finger Multiplication- I'll provide a link that explains it completely.

http://www.cofc.edu/wallacegurganus/

Video link:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/611303/fin...

Good luck. And what a nice sister you are for helping.

Answer 2

There are games on the computer for free.  Just type in your search "multiplication games" and you will get a million choices.  I like www.coolmath4 kids.com and www.funbrain.com and mathcats.com  You could also get graph paper and have him color in the boxes.  3x4 would be 3 rows of 4 boxes each.  This exercise will help him visualize the value of the number.  Flash cards are always good.  You give him the cards he gets right, and you keep the ones he misses.  Then count up the number of cards he gets.  Give him some kind of reward.  Each card right could be a point, a penny, an M&M, or a min on the computer or game, or something he likes.  I think the funbrain website is the one with math baseball game.  Get a kitchen timer set it for 5 mins. and let him play.  Record his score at the end of the 5 mins.  Then have him try to beat his own score.  Good luck!  You must be an awesome SISTER.

Answer 3

Check a school supply store for CD's with little songs. Play it over and over, especially in the car, where there are fewer distractions. Sing along and make it fun.

Answer 4

I have taught math for 23 years, so I may be a little old-fashioned but I know that method that seems to work best for my students, many of whom are in special education.  It's called in one word: drills.  Buy the flashcards (or make them).  You do NOT need to do all cards at once... that will lead to frustration.  I would start with the zero and one multiplication facts.  If those are not mastered, I would practice them at least five times before moving on to the two facts.  Again, you want to keep things as positive as you can because children will give up if they are frustrated... autistic or not.  Since attention span is highly important in your circumstance, limit the amount of time you spend... perhaps three minutes (eventually moving up in minutes if possible) of giving drill cards at a time.  Use a timer instead of a clock... once you hear the beep, drill time is over.  Perhaps in another hour or two you can try again.  I see nothing wrong with practicing as often as you can per day provided the child is meeting success and not becoming frustrated.  I would NOT give rewards or treats for drill completion... all children must learn to feel an inward kind of satisfaction when they accomplish their goals.

Answer 5

Have you tried making up funny multiplication rhymes, raps, chants and stories?

Answer 6

My favorite is: honorpoint.com.  It is a very simplistic site, and there is one area where it just "shows" the student the facts. Then, he practices the facts. Then he takes a short test on a specific fact (x7 for example) and it gives him an immediate grade. It is short, sweet and to the point. For my ADHD daughter, it worked very well.

Another good one is www.internet4classrooms.com, and then find 4th grade Math, or you may even want to try 3rd grade... Just find a good fit. There are a boatload of games & little activities -- not too long -- and they are practicing various skills. There is one whole section on Mult. facts.

Also, just type in "Multiplication practice" into your search engine, and you will come up with tons of hits for online games and fun activities. Some will have printable sheets, so I'm not sure if your brother could handle that. Some are just online activities... so browse around and you will probably find several things that would work.

Answer 7

If you can get ahold of a Schoolhouse Rock DVD, they have some songs about multiplication.

Answer 8

Multiplication tables are really straight memorization, so the more practice he gets, the better he will be at them.  However, more practice doesn't necessarily mean long periods of time.

Some suggestions:

1.  A few times a day, give him timed 1 minute "tests" (although you may not want to call them tests...). These can be either written or verbal.  His goal is to answer as many as possible, correctly, in one minute.  Keep a score sheet posted so he can see how he has improved over time.  To boost his confidence, make sure the first 3-5 questions are "easy" so that he doesn't get too discouraged right off the bat.  You might want to get a baseline and then set a series of goals and rewards.  That way he can visually see how he is improving and know what the upcoming reward will be for getting better.        

2.  Color.  There have been studies that show the use of color aids in recall.  One way to do this is called rainbow writing.  Suppose the 7 tables are the hardest for him.  He would write the tables in one color and then write on top of that color with another color, and another, and then another, etc.  You know your brother best...don't completely frustrate him by having him do this for long periods of time.  However, the more he writes, the (more than likely) more he will remember.

The other color suggestion is to assign a color for each table.  3 table is purple, 4 table is green, 5 is whatever, etc.  Then when he writes the tables, he uses the color associated with that number.  

Short bursts of studying, multiply times a day is better than long study periods, especially with Autistic kids.  

I hope some of these ideas help.

Answer 9

From working with Autistic students, I've noticed that putting times tables to music helps get some of them across.  Most (not saying all) most students learn by touching something that helps them grasp a technique.  

I hope this helps a little :)