Learning problems: a child cannot remember the multiplication table - how to help him?

When a child, despite trying, cannot memorize the multiplication table, he begins to stress, and this further deteriorates the ability to absorb knowledge. How to teach your child the multiplication table in a smart way? Is it possible to turn learning into great fun that teaches flexible and analytical thinking? 

In today's article, we suggest what to do when a child cannot remember the multiplication table.

Multiplication table: how to teach a child basic principles?

When a child cannot remember the multiplication table, it is worth explaining to the child why it is worth knowing it, e.g.: it is useful in the store, while playing some board games and games, and is necessary at further stages of learning. Multiplication table - how to teach a child in an easy way?

Familiarize your child with the basic rules:

• Multiplying by 0 will always result = 0. A clever rhyme can be helpful in remembering this rule, e.g. "For every kid, by "0" multiplication is like a dream! After all, you have the result ready - always "0", trouble with your head! or "When you multiply by '0', you won't create any other number (you'll always get '0')."
• When we multiply any number by 1, we get exactly the same number.
• When multiplying any number by 10, to get the result, it is enough to add one "0" to the multiplied number.

The smart way to multiplication table: learn three ideas for learning multiplication by 9

It is worth showing your child that you do not need the multiplication tables thoughtlessly to crambut there are easy ways around it. This is exactly the case multiplication by the number 9. On her example, the toddler will see that math can be great fun! Clever way to multiplication table?

Multiplying by 9 can be simple:

• Write down the numbers from 1 to 10 on a piece of paper, and add a multiplication sign, 9 and an equal sign to each number. To get the result, start from the top with each action, write the numbers 0 to 8, and then, starting from the bottom, add the numbers 1 to 9:

1 9 x = 09

2 9 x = 18

3 9 x = 27

4 9 x = 36

5 9 x = 45

6 9 x = 54

7 9 x = 63

8 9 x = 72

9 9 x = 81

• Finger science: stretch out both hands in front of you with the back facing up. Count all the fingers, assigning a number from 1 to 10 for each (from the smallest finger of the left hand (1) to the smallest finger of the right hand (10)). For example, for the action 7 x 9, we bend the finger to which we have assigned the number 7 (index finger of the right hand). The number of fingers to the left of the bent finger is the decimal score (60), while the number of fingers to the right of the bent finger is the number of ones (3). We add them together: 60 and 3 gives us 63 (7×9=63)
• Quick validation of the result when multiplying by 9: the sum of the digits obtained in the result should give the number 9, e.g.: 2×9=18 (1+8=9), or 6×9=54 (5+4=9)

Can't your child remember the multiplication table? Make up fairytale math stories together

Another clever way to do the multiplication table is this giving each number of features of an item/animal, for example, number 6 is a rabbit (let the child draw ears and a tail), number 8 is a fat bear, number 4 is a cheerful duck with a beak. When a rabbit races with a teddy bear (6×8) in a PE lesson, the duck (the PE teacher) is the referee and the other bear (brother of the first teddy bear) is cheering (multiplication result 6×8=48).

Giving numbers features of objects or animals helps to build associations, thanks to which some children will quickly master "mathematical stories about multiplication", and additionally develop their imagination.

How to teach your child the multiplication table, not only to 50? Math memory and playing with dice will make the task easier 

Another way to teach your child the multiplication table is to share mathematical creation memory. 

On the cut-out cards, the child writes a mathematical operation on one side, and the correct result on the other, eg 5 x 10 = 50. Then, the toddler's task is to color all the cards and circle the actions with a felt-tip pen, which will additionally consolidate knowledge. Then we put the cards on the floor and guess: either the result of the visible operation, or the action that gives the number visible on the card. Whoever guesses right takes the card for themselves. The winner is the person who collected more cards.

Multiplication table and fun

If we want to teach a child to multiply, it is best to play with, for example, a dice. On a piece of paper we write down the numbers from 1 to 10 as well as the multiplication and equality sign (1 x …= … ), we roll the dice, and we write the drawn number in the empty space next to the first number, counting from the top of the sheet. Then enter the correct multiplication result. The winner is the person whose summed up the results of all activities will give the highest number.

When child cannot remember all over multiplication tables show that it can operate on easier actions

How to teach a child the multiplication table up to 50 does not always have to be based only on the student's memory. A toddler who is learning multiplication should be quite good at addition by now.

When a child can't memorize the multiplication table, let's show him how to break down each operation into smaller, easier parts, for example:

7 x 8 = (4 + 3) x 8 = (4 x 8) + (3 x 8) = 32 + 24 = 56

6 x 5 = (3 + 3) x 5 = (3 x 5) + (3 x 5) = 15 + 15 = 30

23 x 2 = (20 x 2) + (3 x 2) = 40 + 6 = 46

This method may seem quite complicated at first, but it is worth showing your child for several reasons:

• we teach the toddler that every problem, e.g. how to learn the multiplication table up to 50, can be solved by the child in different ways. Not only through pure memory learning. It will make the disciple learns analytical thinking and a creative approach to every difficulty;
• breaking operations into parts makes it possible for the child to operate with smaller, easier numbers (toddlers usually have no difficulty remembering multiplication by 2, 3, 4 and 5, so it's worth using it);
• when a child cannot remember the multiplication table, by creatively and independently solving mathematical operations, toddler trains thinking automatisms, which will later help him master the multiplication table also on a purely memorized basis.

These are just some of the clever ways to learn the multiplication table that are worth trying with your child.

There are also numerous games and coloring books available on the market that help in learning mathematics, including multiplication tables, so when a student still has difficulties with mastering it, it is worth using them.