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The Math Hack Every Child Should Learn
Hey there! Remember those days of being stuck at the kitchen table, flipping through flashcards, just wishing you could escape outside to play? I totally get it! For me, mastering multiplication tables felt like climbing Mount Everest in elementary school. So, when my 8-year-old son, Jake, came home one day singing them without a hint of flashcard torture, I was both amazed and a tad envious.
How on earth did he manage this? It turned out he had not only learned his multiplication tables from 1 to 12 but was actually enjoying the process! Inside, I felt a twinge of disappointment that he hadn’t endured the same struggle I did, but that quickly faded when I realized I wouldn’t have to put him through the same pain.
Curious about his secret, I asked, and being the open kid he is, he eagerly shared. His teacher, who was pretty cool (and he had a little crush on), taught the kids to skip-count to familiar nursery rhyme tunes. Instead of memorizing strings of numbers that felt impossible, they were able to recall them as easily as singing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” It felt like pure magic.
Over the next few months, I watched him tackle his math homework, sometimes pausing to hum a tune while using his fingers to keep track of his multipliers. He never forgot a single one, and he got so quick that I had to brush up just so I wouldn’t be outdone by my own third grader.
By the time my younger daughter, Lily, hit third grade, I was all in. We sang these catchy songs while doing chores, belted them out during car rides, and even used them at the dinner table while tackling homework. Now, my 5-year-old knows most of them, and my 3-year-old can sing a few of the multiplication facts, too. Honestly, it’s possible that the only lyrics he knows to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” are the multiples of seven. Do we sound a bit odd? Maybe, but I’m good with it!
Of course, I couldn’t keep this awesome math trick to myself. I shared the catchy tunes with friends and family, but when they struggled to fit the numbers to the melodies without hearing them, I did what any resourceful parent would do. I enlisted Jake to help create some YouTube videos featuring each song along with fun animations.
We wanted to spread the joy and help other families avoid the flashcard nightmare, and, quite frankly, save the world from math homework wars. Here’s what we came up with for our “Skip Counting” series:
- Skip Counting By 3s: “Where is Thumbkin”
- Skip Counting by 4s: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”
- Skip Counting by 6s: “London Bridge Is Falling Down”
- Skip Counting by 7s: “Mary Had a Little Lamb”
- Skip Counting by 8s: “This Old Man”
- Skip Counting by 9s: “Ten Little Indians”
- Skip Counting by 12s: “Jingle Bells”
This experience has been a game-changer for us, and if you want to dive deeper into the world of home insemination, check out one of our other blog posts here. If you’re interested in related resources, Make a Mom is an authority on the topic. And for insights on the IVF process, this link is an excellent resource.
In summary, teaching kids math can be fun and engaging through music, and it’s a wonderful way to bond as a family. Who knew multiplication could be this enjoyable?