My Best $8 Parenting Purchase

Anton and Toby have been struggling with something recently… …memorizing their times tables. (Pop quiz! 12×12? 9×6? 7×8?) We’d been going over them at dinner, and I’d tried a couple things — a button machine, good old-fashioned flash cards —...

Astrong Astrong
Feb 1, 2023 - 21:04
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My Best $8 Parenting Purchase

Anton Goddard-Williams

Anton and Toby have been struggling with something recently…

…memorizing their times tables. (Pop quiz! 12×12? 9×6? 7×8?) We’d been going over them at dinner, and I’d tried a couple things — a button machine, good old-fashioned flash cards — but the numbers weren’t quite sticking.

Then I spotted this poster at my sister’s house, and something about it felt intuitive. Listing each number out separately felt easier to digest than one big grid. So, I ordered one and taped the poster in the bathroom, figuring the boys could gaze at it while washing their hands, brushing their teeth, drying their hands, etc.

best multiplication table

Would it work? Time would tell. Then, honestly, I kind of forgot about it.

Cut to yesterday: Anton was doing his math homework and I noticed he was flying through it. He immediately solved 11×11 (121!) and told me his personal favorite was 9×9 (a cool 81). When I asked him how everything had finally clicked, he told me: the bathroom poster.

How amazing is that? Figured I’d pass along — sometimes it’s the little things!

P.S. Slamdunk birthday presents and pizza math.

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