Mastering the math facts is one of the journeys and victories of childhood. The sooner they are learned to the “automatic-response” stage, the better! All math that follows requires the basic addition and mulitiplication facts. One mathematics professor at the university said that most of the problems his Calculus students misssed on tests were due to math fact errors, not because they didn’t know the formulas!
In our homeschool, we have enjoyed this simple game for a quick review of the multiplication facts along with fun and smiles. Here’s how to make a quick and simple version for immediate play!
Get a stack of blank 3 x 5 index cards (or cut cardstock into cards). Get either two different colors of index cards, or white index cards and use 2 colored markers (red and blue are good). If you use colored ink and white cards, put a little sticker, or make a star or happy face or squiggle on the back of each card in the same ink color, so they are easy to sort into stacks.
On the first color of cards (or on a white card using red marker), write up the “answer” cards, one number to a card:
6
9
12
15
16
18
20
21
24
25
27
28
30
32
35
36
40
42
45
48
49
56
63
64
72
81
On a different color of index cards, or In blue marker, write up the “problem cards”, one problem to a card:
3 x 2=
3 x 3=
3 x 4=
3 x 5=
3 x 6=
3 x 7=
3 x 8=
3 x 9=
4 x 4=
4 x 5=
4 x 6=
4 x 7=
4 x 8=
4 x 9=
5 x 5=
5 x 6=
5 x 7=
5 x 8=
5 x 9=
6 x 6=
6 x 7=
6 x 8=
6 x 9=
7 x 7=
7 x 8=
7 x 9=
8 x 8=
8 x 9=
9 x 9=
To play the game, set the 2 stacks of card face down in the center of the table. Each player takes 7 “answer “cards and lays them face up before him. Then the first player takes one “problem” card from the stack and turns it face up. If he has the answer to the problem amongst his 7 answer cards, they make a set, and the player draws an “answer” card to replace the one he used. Then he draws again from the “problem” stack and tries to make sets as long as he can continue. If he can no longer answer the problem with one of his answer cards, he discards the problem to the face-up discard stack. The next player may draw from either the discard stack or the face down stack, and make sets as long as he is able to continue. The winner is the one with the most cards once the problem stack is gone.
You can customize (and shorten) this game by just working on the “3’s”, for example, or just on the one’s that need extra practice. This game can also be made up in an addition facts version for younger siblings wanting to play too.
A quick game is just right to start math studies each day, and makes every happier, and smarter!
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