Learning in Third: Developing Number Sense Is More Important Than The Math Facts (But You Can Master Both)

One of the rites of passage of third grade is learning the basic math facts for multiplication and division. Depending on your child, the thought of this may create excitement or inspire fear.

First,

In order to dispel any possible fear, I want to explain a little bit about the relative importance (or unimportance) of math facts.

1 - Everyone can learn their math facts.
2 - Some kids will learn them more quickly than others, BUT
3 - Faster isn't necessarily better, BECAUSE
4 - Understanding how numbers work is the real goal.

Studies repeatedly show that the best math students are not necessarily the fastest at doing math problems, but the students who have number sense. They understand how math "works", they know about patterns in math, and they know that there are multiple ways to solve a problem. Developing number sense will serve your child much better than just memorizing math facts.

We spend weeks on multiplication so that students can develop an understanding of what they are doing when they multiply. It's not just magic answers pulled from their rote memorization, it's working with numbers.

However,

It is faster to multiply if students know their math facts, and learning the facts is a stated requirement for third grade. The good news is that there are easier ways than others to learn the multiplication facts.

If you follow six simple steps, you can help your child with a strategy for learning the multiplication tables that should demystify the experience and demonstrate that instead of 100 facts to learn, there are really only 7 difficult facts to learn.

1. Learn to count to 10 (done) and by 2 and 5 (probably done).