Number Facts Can Be Fun!!

A common thing I hear from teachers and parents is that it can be weary trying to get kids to learn their number facts.

When I talk about number facts, I'm not limiting it to just 'learning our times tables', a phrase that bugs me big time!!!

I'm talking about our mental computation skills involving the four operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. As each of these is so related to the others, I encourage the learning of them in conjunction with each other as there are so many strategies that help them complement each other.

So many kids get turned off maths as soon as they hear the term 'times tables', whereas my experience has been that they are far more receptive to learning number facts, as it enables them to implement skills they may already have in other areas that may just help them to learn their multiplication facts more readily, and in a more enjoyable manner.

When our kids were young, and we went out for dinner, they needed something to occupy them while we waited for our meals.

We often pulled out a piece of paper and a pen or pencil and drew arrays of dots and played the game of 'Fences'. It always saved us, so I thought I'd turn it into a bit of a game that helps kids with their number facts.

The clip tells the story, so grab a cuppa, sit back and see what you think.

I hope it works for you, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Cheers!!