Kids need to understand subtraction as separating or taking away. Kids need to explore addition as combining or adding to.
Instead, we need to focus first on an understanding of the math behind the facts. While many people begin with this step, I don’t encourage it. When kids have fluency with math facts, their brains are freed up to do more complex tasks – such as mental math and problem solving.This becomes especially important in the higher grades. When kids know their facts automatically, they can do math more quickly.If kids have to think for a minute before telling you that 5 x 6 = 30, they don’t have math facts fluency. It’s the quick and effortless recall of math facts.
Let’s talk about basic math facts, shall we?Īddition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.Īll math teachers agree that their learners need to develop fluency with these facts. Need another way to build math fact fluency? Try these fun printable math games – they’re free!
