How to Practice Math Facts at Home (5 Minutes a Day)

Pick one group, not all the facts

Practicing all the facts is too big, and it spends most of the time on ones a child already knows. Find the wobbly group instead: maybe doubles, or pairs that make 10, or the plus 9s. Use the chart or two rounds of the game to see where answers slow down. Spend a week or two on that group. It's a nice feeling for a child to know they've got a whole group, and it gives you both something to celebrate.

Attach it to something you already do

Five minutes is easy to find if you don't have to find it. Try the walk to school, the wait for the bus, while the pasta boils, or just before a story at bedtime. In the car, ask facts aloud and take turns, letting your child ask you too (and get one wrong now and then). Keep flash cards in the bag. Short, regular practice like this is what makes facts stick, and you won't need to set aside a special time for it.

Keep it friendly

When a child is stuck, don't jump to the answer. Ask what do you know that could help? That's how they learn to reason from facts they know: 7 + 8 from 7 + 7. If a fact goes wrong, say the right one and carry on without fuss. Stop before they want to, so that tomorrow's five minutes isn't a fight. Praise the working more than the answer: you used the double, nice. If math has become a battle, take a few days off and play a card game instead.

How to do it with Sumtown

1. Play two rounds of the game together to find the wobbly group.
2. Open the page for that group, like make 10 or plus 9, and read the tricks.
3. Play one round a day, locked to that group.
4. Print flash cards for the car or the bag.

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