What on earth has movement got to do with times tables? Surely movement is linked with physical education or sports and not maths!
When children are moving about they are happy. Children therefore love to move – they are always in perpetual motion whenever they have the choice.
The thing about learning times tables is that they are usually learned when children are sitting still and not doing what they would rather be doing, that is moving about.
Children learning the times tables whilst being motionless is therefore not the best method of learning the times tables, particularly as there is a superior technique.
Moving produces feelings and emotions in people and this is particularly the case for children.
When you are talking about children the emotion created by moving is happiness and when children are happy they are keener to do things
Our focus here is on learning times tables and if you can use movement in the learning process then children will want to learn.
So, in what way can you bring movement to learning times tables?
There is something that you can do which I’ll tell you now.
The first thing to do is abandon the rote learning that so many children are forced to use when learning times tables.
Here is an example with the three times table: 1×3 is 3, 2×3 is 6, 3×3 is 9, right up to 12×3 is 36.
This is a very dull way of trying to learn the times tables. Instead, what children need is a fun system that uses movement. This system is based on the memory techniques used by the memory champions.
The key to the techniques used by the memory champions is location linked to imagination. They link images to places.
Times tables are easy for children to learn when they do this using real images and real locations.
The times tables are drawn as particular images. These drawings are put around your home in particular locations. You now have the link between the tables and locations.
More difficult times tables can be put in more unusual places within the home.
Maybe put the drawings somewhere that your children will find funny and therefore memorable.
What about movement? Where does this come in? To learn the times tables really well your children now run around your home seeing the tables in their locations. They will link the particular tables to these locations, learn them and have a lot of fun doing it.
Movement generates emotions. When you encourage your children to combine moving, fun and learning, using the memory technique to learn times tables the effect is immediate. Your children will know the times tables very well.
The fantastic thing is that other maths subjects can also be learned in this fun way.
Times Tables are the most important foundation steps of Maths for your children. To find out how to help your children, go to www.timestablesmaths.com.
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