Make Old-School Math Facts Fun With New Technology

Hey, just so you know ... This post includes affiliate links. That means if you use them to make a purchase, I may earn a commission. You can read my full affiliate disclosure HERE.

How NOT to make math facts fun: drills.

Snooze fest, right? 

Be honest: what are YOUR childhood memories of learning your math facts? They probably don’t give you the warm fuzzies.

But technology is changing that!  Math facts are important, yet problematic for some students to grasp; computers can make learning math facts fun again in your homeschool.

Nicole Thomas is the passionate educator and homeschool mom behind NicoleTheMathLady.com, the online space for Saxon math video lessons, tutorials, grading, support, and more.  In this guest post, she lays out why math facts matter, why traditional ways of learning are becoming more challenging, and how technology can meet the demands of modern families.

This is a sponsored guest post and all opinions are the guest author's. I received compensation, but reviewed this product to make sure it was something that I wanted to share with techie homeschoolers. READ HERE for more information.

Why Math Facts Matter

The fact (ha) is, if you want an excellent math student, he or she must get their math facts down. There’s no way they can start more advanced computations if they’re trying to use their fingers or skip counting to get the answer to a basic math fact.

But the process of learning math facts is rarely fun. It’s a lot of flash cards, drilling, and worksheets. It’s the exact kind of thing that elicits an exclamation of “BO-RING” from kids everywhere.

Complicating matters is what’s going on in the periphery–in the culture around us. Kids are constantly being exposed to more and more media and visuals. With such near-constant stimulation, getting them to sit and drill can cause a lot of friction.

However, math facts still matter. In my decades of experience as a math tutor, when a child is struggling with math, the root problem is that they don’t know their math facts. For whatever reason, all those important drills didn’t get done or didn’t take.

When a child gets to pre-algebra and beyond, they need all the mental space they can get to work on the new skills and more complicated equations they are being asked to perform. If they are still struggling with “6×8” or “8+7” then it will be significantly harder. And the more they struggle with things that can and should be memorized, the more frustrated they will be as they try to use algebra to solve problems.

Lots has changed over the last few decades in the way we approach education. But the need to know math facts remains.

Why Traditional Ways of Learning Are Even MORE Challenging Now

While the best ways to get a good foundation in math haven’t changed, the expectations our kids have of how to learn have. And of course, technology is a wonderful thing. It has really expanded how and what we can learn in ways that would have been inconceivable just a few short years ago.

But the flip side of that means that flashcards and recitation may seem even more dull than they did when we adults were kids. Kids today want to be entertained and have quickly grown accustomed to flashy editing, colorful graphics, and vibrant personalities. Finding ways to meet kids where they are can help avoid the friction that often comes when old-school learning needs intersect with high-tech kids, but that’s difficult.

How Technology Innovations Meet the Demands of Modern Families (and Make Math Facts Fun!)

The good news is, there are ways to bridge the gap. You CAN have both a tech-savvy, modern-era kid and a great math student with solid foundations!

There are loads of programs out there that allow your child to do simple drills online. These can be very helpful in conjunction with one-on-one flashcard drills and worksheets that are part of most math curriculums.

If you want the deluxe treatment–as in, “the kids do it all online with very little drilling on the part of the parent,” you’ll find fewer options, but I’d love to have you try one that is near and dear to my heart. Drill Team features an animated Nicole the Math Lady who leads your child on an adventure through each set of facts. A real-life team of 4 energetic teenagers helps them dance, sing, and chant their way to math fact fluency. I designed it specifically to address the disconnect I see between “kids today” and the importance of knowing math facts. 

And if you choose to go old school, make getting out the flash cards an enjoyable “downtime.” A cozy space, some nice music, and a fun snack can offer a nice, quiet break from the technological bells and whistles that fill the rest of our kids’ days. 

Want to learn more about Drill Team? You can check it out and sign up for a free 7-day trial here.

CONCLUSION

However you do it, trust me when I say: math facts matter. Even if it means pausing or downsizing other work to get the facts memorized–it’s an investment that will pay off in the long run. Commit to getting them down cold and you may save your child–and you–a lot of frustration down the road.

Related Posts

• Online Safety Tips: How to Protect Your Kids While They're Online
• You CAN Teach Coding in Your Homeschool
• How to Not Get Overwhelmed with Online Options for Homeschooling

Want some techie homeschooling tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for weekly-ish emails from me.

Techie Homeschool Mom is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. You can read my full affiliate disclosure HERE.