You asked...

Dear Learning Lady,

My daughter will be going into grade 5 this September and she "despises" math class. She has not yet learned her math times tables and is confused about the concept of division. I am worried about her because she is already dreading the upcoming year due to her fear and dislike toward math. How can I turn this around? I don't want her to end up being afraid of math and not liking it. I had the same problem when I was her age.

A Desperate (non-mathematical mother)

The Learning Lady's reply...

Dear Desperate,

Numeracy is just as important as literacy. Whatever you do, please remember not tell her you were afraid of math or didn't like math in school. This is not hereditary. Instead, tell her how math is everywhere in the world around her. It is important for her to realize that math really does make sense; it's useful and can actually be lots of fun. Give examples - patterns in a quilt, geometry in architecture, measurement around the house such as putting a blind up in a bedroom window or doubling a recipe, distance and mileage when going on a trip. You must also show enthusiasm and have fun together. You'll both start noticing math all around you.

Children need to understand the concept of multiplication. Your daughter probably does understand multiplication at this stage, but you can check by asking simple questions like "How many cookies would we have in all if we had 2 piles of 4 cookies?" Make it easy to start and she will soon learn what multiplying is all about. Other good ways to learn early multiplication is by colouring in boxes on graph paper (a grid), or looking for arrays (like an egg container that has two rows of six). Play around with counters - raisins, beans, stones, whatever is available. Turn them into little math problems and come up with the equations.

After she has understanding of the basics, she needs to learn those facts! Finding fun ways to memorize the facts is the key. You probably remember those good old days of boring repetitive drills in the classroom. Nowadays, there are so many great resources for learning the times tables. Music CDs, DVDs, videos, computer games, board and card games have all become great learning tools. Using cards or dice are fun ways to practice both multiplication and division. Here are some quick drill ideas: Choose a number to represent the times table you are working on. Write this number at the top of a piece of paper, on a chalkboard, or even in the sand (if you happen to be at the beach). Have your child roll a die and multiply whatever number turns up by the base number you have chosen. The same game can be played with two dice, thereby increasing the size of the numbers used. Provide a calculator for easy checking. This game can also be played with a deck of cards. Have your daughter randomly select a card and that is the number she multiplies by. Face cards can be given a value of her choice.

More and more practice makes it easier

Your daughter can practice the different times tables using a calculator. Have her punch in 1x6 is 6, 2x6 is 12, etc. She can record these equations and answers on paper. Work on one number at a time, then do the reverse to practice division. For example if 2 times 6 equals 12 then 12 divided by 2 is 6, and dividing 6 into 12 equals 2. Show this relationship between multiplication and division using a triangle. Create triangle cards to practice with.

Find some fun worksheets online for extra practice. Fill in the times table charts, write out sequences, practice skip counting in the car. As a family, make up math problems to figure out during dinner. For example: How many cupcakes would you need for a party with 6 friends if everyone had 2? Have fun with the flashcards; play "go fish" or line them up as a trail to a treasure.

Make math part of your daily activities

Your daughter is at a perfect age to connect both multiplication and division to baking, cooking, setting the table, or planning a party. One thing you could start now is to provide her with a budget and compare flyers for back to school supplies and clothing. In this way she will learn to be responsible about money and begin to see the value in learning how to do basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

The first step is to have her generate a list of needs and quantity. For example if she needs 6 pairs of socks: 6 X PRICE PER ITEM =TOTAL COST. She can do this for all of her back to school purchases. When the shopping is complete, have her compare the budget with the actual expenses. Try figuring out the unit costs for her supplies bought in packages to practice some division.

Building the basics and, most important, CONFIDENCE

Once your daughter has memorized these facts, she will find math problem solving at school quicker and easier. Extra practice of her math skills will build her confidence - and yours as well. This is the time to work on building a solid foundation in math that will make her future school years less stressful. If things go well, start working ahead on her division! Wouldn't it be grand for her to start the new year ahead of her class?

What a great way to build her confidence. There are a lot of great books you can get at the library for parents to use as a reference to help teach their children. You can also talk to her new teacher to get some ideas. Mathematics is such a wonderful subject and is a very important part of our lives. If it becomes fun for your daughter, she will soon love math again.