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Thursday, November 20, 2008

Twist on Math Drills

We all want our kids to practice their math facts, right? My daughter has been getting tired of drilling math facts. I can't say that I blame her; I'm getting sick of drilling math facts too. Sometimes we have to do things that we don't care to do; sometimes we don't. I read an idea on a blog the other day that stimulated my thinking in the area of math drills. It doesn't always have to be worksheets.

For example...you can use dice. In our case, we're drilling basic math facts up to ten so I have my daughter roll the dice and tell me how many more she needs to get to ten (except in the rare case that 11 or 12 are rolled). Alternatively, since we really need to work on subtraction, I've been having her add the dice together (e.g. 4+3=7) and then, subtract (7-4=3, 7-3=4). She's writing them in her notebook which gives her plenty of practice. This is also something she can do by herself so I don't have to be right with her for drill work.

You can also use playing cards...simply pull out the face cards and jokers and play a concentration like game. Instead of having kids match the cards, have them pick a partner/bond/whatever you want to call it that adds up to ten. (e.g. if your kiddo picks up a four, he/she would have to find a six to take the match ;)

Anyway, I'm sure there are a lot of creative ways to drill math facts without endless worksheets. These are just a couple that I have found. What works for you?

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