Can learning your times tables be fun?


Apparently learning your times tables can be a lot of fun!  Our daughters are currently learning theirs, and we've found they actually enjoy reciting them and trying to remember them if we use rhythm.

Combining saying your times tables with some kind of rhythm and exercise seems to be the most fun combination.

A few weeks ago, I was walking up a local hilly walking track with the girls, while Dad ran around a bigger track.  They started to get tired, and began to drag their feet and want to stop, so in an attempt to take their mind of walking, I suggested brightly we see if we could remember our 2 times tables.  To my delight, they took up the challenge, and as we walked up endless steps, we chanted the tables to the rhythm of our stepping.  Everyone we passed noticed our strange 'walking song' and smiled and encouraged the girls on.

I've since taken to 'challenging' the girls to see if they can tell me their times tables on the swings when we go to the park - in the rhythm of swinging backwards and forwards, and also while bouncing on our mini trampoline.  They mix their times tables in with other rhymes and songs they have learnt.

Of course this is great, but they do need more practice than just reciting them in order.  So I've been looking online for some multiplication games and have found a fantastic site called Multiplication.com
It has lots of different multiplication games, like for example the fashion girls game, where you
'win' more clothes for the girls each time you get a multiplication right.  There are so many more too - detective games,  multi- player races, granny racing!! I do recommend having a look. 



How have you made times tables fun for your kids?  How do you remember learning them when you were a kid?





NB:  The recommendation for the website games is just my own personal opinion - I've not been paid or rewarded in any way for it!

8 comments:

  1. Wow, that's great that there are fun ways to learn the times tables! I sooo remember trying to bribe my girls into learning them and recite them, as I had to do myself. Good for you for making it fun for them. It'll be so much easier for them to learn and remember....like the ABC song!!!
    Thanks for stopping by and joining my blog!!
    Kathy at Oak Lawn Images

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  2. Jill,

    I so enjoyed reading this post! When my youngest was little (he is now 19) he liked to holler his times tables while jumping on the mini trampoline. I got such a kick out of watching him! Kudos to you for making both physical and mental exercise fun!

    Thank you for your recent visit & follow at JRRSEhopeCoaching; it is my pleasure to Follow you as well. Lets stay connected!

    ~RJ
    http://jrrsehopecoaching.com

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  3. I liked this Jill. I'm terrible at Math (always have been since childhood) and these learning games would actually be good for ME. :) I'm glad there are more fun learning tools for children. It makes Math less scary.

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  4. I love this ! You have the greatest posts ! I am a Mom of 3 and enjoy your subjects.
    New to your blog and following, would love a follow back :)
    XO
    http://lechateaudesfleurs.blogspot.com

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  5. Times table. Bad flashback moment. :) I'm following from Catch a Wave Wednesday. Have a great night.

    Debra
    http://thecookbookdiva.wordpress.com/

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  6. Thanks for the website. We are still working on multiplication for my 3rd grader and she still has trouble with some. She will be on the website today, lol.

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  7. thansk for the follow, love your blog too. I am grateful for the website, can not get my daughter to practice her math...now she might

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  8. I have just spent about 3 hours reading around on your site! Both the mobile and web versions. I must say — love the down to earth and highly usable nature of it. Just one wish — a search option on the mobile version.

    I’m also having probs d/ling this times tables ebook. I’ve signed up to follow your blog - I had to do it from the home page, cuz the link here on the Times Tables eBook page went to a “not found/doesn’t exist” page...

    Meanwhile, no email link for the book either...

    Please help, if you’re anle?
    Meanwhile, back to surfing your site, lol. (please excuse typos in here, my fingers are all bigger than the little typing images!)

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