Want to help your kids do better at math?

One simple way for parents to help their children be more successful at math is to practice math facts with them each day for a few minutes. Fairly easy, right? When kids know --really know their math facts--no counting up or down, kids are free to focus on the concept they're learning--not each individual fact.

Think about it. If your child has to solve a 3-digit plus a 3-digit number problem and he doesn't have automatic command of basic math facts, he has to count up for the one's place, for the ten's place, and again for the hundred's place. That's 3 opportunities for him to make a mistake, and when children don't know their facts, mistakes are harder for kids to find. They have to re-count the whole problem.

As math gets more complicated, not knowing math facts creates more trouble. Think about all the steps involved in long multiplication. If your child doesn't know the multiplication and addition facts, she'll have to count up for each step.

Don't even get me started on fractions. When kids don't know multiplication and division facts, reducing fractions and finding common denominators can be truly frustrating.

How much time is your child spending on math each evening? When you look at corrected papers, do you notice lots of mistakes? Often, this can be attributed to kids not knowing math facts.

I've found that the best way for kids to learn facts is to practice for a short time each day. Five minutes is enough, as long as you make a habit of practicing each day. You can't wait for the weekend and practice for an hour. Our brains learn best when they learn and practice skills in little bits.

The key for practicing facts is that kids have to know the answer fast. If your child has to count up, he doesn't really know the fact. When this happens, tell your child the answer, have your child repeat the answer, and then put the card in the "try again" pile.

What about games and computer practices? Many of these are great, but keep in mind, these games are basically flash cards. My advice, check for free games online. One that I like is on softschools.com. That site has several fact practice games, and you don't have to enter any information about your child in order to play. Just go to the site and play--no passwords or anything. I've tested the site with several of the kids in my math classes. They're a hit!

Another alternative to flash cards is a Math Shark. I have several in my room and would be happy to loan one to you. Stop by if you'd like to borrow one. Keep it in the car and practice on the way to school in the morning. Your five minutes will be done before you get to the parking lot (unless you're a Spaude!)

Enough. I'm down from my soap box. I've gotta go run through a short stack of addition cards with my kid.