Funniest I've heard of is hanging the 'Facts poster' up across from the 'John' so that they can't help but learn a bit at a time.
I wish I had heard of it at the time.
I see memorizing Math facts as a totally different, but also important skill than learning Math. Split the topic into two different subjects "memorization training" and "Math" -
You can also try getting him to learn to 'remove' multiples of 5 from any number. So 36 + 12 becomes 35 plus 10 plus 1 plus 2 - some kids just like it better that way. Then one only has to memorize 4 +1 = 5, 3+2= 5, 6 is 5 +1, 7 is 5+2, 8 is 5+3, and 9 is 5+4. And you are all done!
For multiplication I love 'skip counting' and you can just start doing it now, instead of regular counting, when timing anything or playing board games. Rolling a 3 and a 4 means skip counting by 3's four times. See how quickly you can get around the Monopoly board that way!
Let's skip count by 4's to see how long it takes for your hot dog to heat up in the microwave.
At our house we just waited until the school insisted, and then DH who loves that 'instant response' kind of thing quized him every morning on the way to school. I stayed out of the whole process. But if I knew then what I know now, I would have started all this goofy stuff at age 4! But no, I was still worried that I'd be burned at the stake for hothousing.
((shrug))
Grinity
