Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Alternatives to quizzing

Hello -

I am moving this discussion from another thread. I noticed that DH and I have been quizzing DS5 on math lately.

There are times when it is a light hearted game that everyone enjoys, like word problems that are fun to figure out.

Other times I get the sense that DS hesitates because he does not want to be wrong. Or he is annoyed because the questions are too easy. I don't want DH and I to get into a habit we all will regret later. As pass the potatoes notes, down the road we could be looking at a kid who hides what he knows or shuts down.

I was about to ask what are some fun ways to practice math that won't feel like drilling or quizzing? Especiall for a verbal kid? I have a few ideas already but am curious what others do. (DS is doing addition, subtraction, some multiplication)

Thanks!

Because I think I have dyscalculia, I have invested math based games and manipulatives for our home. I want my girls to have a solid foundation for math skills.

We use manipulatives, dice games, do domino math and cookie math, play monopoly, SMATH, or MoneyBags and we have pattern blocks, mathlink cubes, and an inexpensive geoboard.

I keep dd7 in charge of keeping score anytime we play games that are scored.

Honestly, this is how we "do math" at home - but it's never about quizzing:

Math for Young Explorers

There's links and pictures there for other math ideas too.

I think you have to discuss this in light of the age of the child. As for as colors and such, we do it as a part of reading, playing..."Can you hand me the green crayon?" eventually they get it. We have some fun books where you look for certain things and we do it together. "Oh lets count the black spiders. one, two, three...." I've never had a problem w/ my kids quizzing others or having issues w/ communication.

Now w/ an older kid doing add/sub/multi, I'd play games. Some kids enjoy quizzing as part of a game. At some point, there isn't much way around it. At some point in life, there will be a quiz to show what you know. My 9yr old is soooo much faster at math facts and such when we're playing games. I think b/c it's relaxed and fun. Now give him a sheet of paper and pencil and he's much slower, making sure he's right, looking at the timer etc.

Some ideas. Do you have Chutes and Ladders? Use 2 dice instead of the spinner. Add them up. I modeled not counting the squares to move and soon my kids followed suit. So if you're on 12 and roll a 6 and a 4, you say 12+10=22 and jump to 22. If DC is into negative numbers, you can do 4-6=-2 and then move backwards 2 spaces if that puts you in a more favorable position then moving forward 10. Or you can do 6-4 and only move up 2. There is a fun dice game where you have a target number and using the other 3 dice try to get as close to the target number as possible. Rightstart has a nice games package which many use to supplement any math program and would be good for afterschooling as well. If you need more ideas I'd be happy to list more.

Games are ideal for math. There are the standard games you'd find in ToysRUs - Uno, Monopoly, Yahtzee, etc. Another readily available one that is good for logical thinking for little ones is Guess Who. Also good for logical thinking SET, checkers, chess. We really like the game Amazing Labyrinth too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Labyrinth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_game

The book Games for Math by Peggy Kaye has a number of very easy to prepare low cost math games. Your library might have it.

Does yours ever ask for sums? If so you might find a sum folder like ours useful. This is a ring binder, with a piece of paper at the front that says:
How we use Colin's sum folder.
1. Colin will decide what kind of sum he wants and how many.
2. DH or ColinsMum will write that many of that kind of sum.
3. Colin will do the sums as quickly as he can while still getting the right answers.
4. DH or ColinsMum will mark the sums.
5. We will punch holes in the sheet of paper and put it in the sum folder.

We started this the first time DS5 came home from school saying maths was boring. He often asks for it as a maths activity, and will often be quite specific about what kind of sums he wants, e.g. specifying not just what operator, but also how large the operands can be. I like it because it's giving him valuable practice, while at the same time because he's completely in charge of what kind of practice it is, I get to see what it is that he regards as hard enough to be interesting but not so hard as to be threatening, at the moment! He likes looking back in the folder and seeing how far he's come, too.

Thanks everyone for the great ideas. We do play chutes and ladders and I like the idea of using the dice instead.

I will look into the other games that were mentioned. And I have been meaning to get some manipulatives too.

A favorite when DS was 4 was the card game 21. We haven't played it in ages though... Maybe I have to think about how to incorporate these kinds of activities back into our routine.

EW

Barnes and NOble sells math dice. It's 2 12-sided dice and 3 regular dice. You roll the two 12-sided dice and multiple to get the target number. Lets say you roll 4 and 3, the target is 12. You then roll the 3 regular dice and try to get as close as you can to 12. Say you roll 6, 2, 1 you can add to make 10 or 6x2-1 to get 11 or 6x2x1 to get 12. Once student progresses, allow squares so if you have a 2, you can square one of the 2 remaining numbers.

There is also a game called 24 which is a similar principle but it consists of cards w/ numbers on them and using those numbers you have to make 24.