Finger counting - I see that, too, and can't believe it. Timez Attack has worked pretty well for multiplication, and I just decided to try this as well:
http://www.citycreek.com (Times Alive download - it's quite expensive but enough already - it's time to get this stuff down!) Surprisingly, he likes it and it seems to be working. 6x6 is thirsty-six. I learned about this from one of you (not you specifically).
And I still think it's all about desire. Usually, to add or multiply, he's counting on his fingers or adding multiples - then today, someone wanted to show him how to estimate how many dinosaurs are in his book (and he really, really wanted to know) and no problem - he runs to the desk, writes out and solves 19x47 quickly on his own. If he had a worksheet that said fill in 9x7 he'd be trying to peek at the chart, squirming, groaning, asking about the weather, saying he's hungry, etc.
