Reviewing math facts can be tedious to both student AND parent! Can I get an amen? 🙂

Is it necessary? Yes!

Why? Automaticity only occurs when you know something so well that you don’t even have to think about it; you just do it! In order for that to occur, a new skill first starts out as short term memory. It hasn’t been mastered and therefore cannot be done without reviewing what has been taught.

Next comes reviewing. Okay, you might be thinking, we will review for a week and the concept will be remembered. Some things are like that, but unfortunately, most things are not.

For instance, how many times did you sing the ABC song with your little one and have your child recite the alphabet until  it became automatic? How about counting to twenty? I would say more times than you care to remember. The same applies with math facts (all basic operations: +,-, x, /). In order for something to go to long term memory and be automatic, the brain must have a “rut” along which that information travels down.  This comes from repeating the same information again and again and again and… Students falter in multi- digit multiplication and division if they do not have the math facts memorized.

How do you keep your patience and sanity while they are still in the process of repeating these facts? How about some online games? I have made a list of websites with free online games that have games for all operations.

ixl has games and activities from preschool all the way through pre-calculus. Of course, high school doesn’t have games, but they do have sample problems. Rats!

Math Playground This has more than just addition and subtraction. There are fractions, decimals, ratios and percents from grades 1-6.

Sheppardsoftware Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division as well as fractions, money, algebra, and place value are topics that can be reviewed here.

Interactive Sites for Education  There are more games on this website than you would want your child to spend on the computer!

Have a great week!

~Lisa