#657. Fun Ways to Learn Math Facts

Mathematics, level: other
Posted Sun Oct 4 12:19:01 PDT 1998 by Sally Engle (salnmike@foryou.net).
West Liberty Salem Elementary, West Liberty, Ohio
Materials Required: Stamper markers, 11" x 14" drawing paper, play ball, permanent marker
Activity Time: One forty minute session per family of facts
Concepts Taught: Learning reciprocation of fact families

The activities below are ones that I have used every year for quite some time with my third graders. The beauty of it is that it can be used at an earlier age to learn and reinforce the addition/ subtraction fact families. 
   My favorite things to do with Math facts:
    To teach the children Multiplication/Division Fact Families, I give them 11" X 14" manilla paper and have them fold it into 12 sections. They choose a stamper marker (available from Crayola or RoseArt to name a few) and we
stamp arrays in each section to match the fact families.  The first two pages are time 1 and times 0. They are always amazed at these facts, especially that they don't have anything to stamp for times zero! Then we begin the meaty stuff. When we start the times 2 page, I tell them that we
all know the times 0 facts, so we begin each page with times 1. The firstsquare will be:
2 x 1 = 2 |  1 x 2 = 2 | 2 / 1 = 2 |  2 / 2 = 1.
The multiplication sentences are at the top and the division sentences are at the bottom. In the middle they stamp two symbols with the marker and circle the groups of two with red and the groups of one with blue - or any two
colors. Then we move on to fill up each block with the consecutive fact families through 2 x 12.  We make a page for each fact family up to times 12's. They love stamping with the markers ( and they are eapecially grateful
for them as we approach times 12!) We usually do one page a week after the ones and zeros and add other work to help remember the facts on the pages.
    A fun activity to help them remember their facts is to take an inexpensive play ball (Walmart has them for about $1.30) and write problems from three facts families on the ball without answers. As we finish with the three families
on the ball, we play ball with the facts. The student tosses the ball to another student(rules: no hard throws, recipient of the toss has to be looking). Whatever that student's right index finger is touching is the problem that student must answer. Then that student tosses to another and the activity is repeated so that every student has a chance to answer a problem. I have four balls with time/division sentences for three families on each. It's a fun. comprehensive review of the fact families!