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.
