Times Tales – Learn Times Tables in a New Way!

Times TalesI’ve heard about Times Tales for a while. The DVD promises that children will learn their upper times tables in an hour. I had also heard from some special needs homeschooling groups that I belong to that this program had worked well for them. So, I decided to put it to the test with my 15 year old son who has never (despite a lot of sweat and tears when he was younger) been able to learn his times tables. While we gave up the battle a few years ago and he uses a calculator to do his math, I decided it was worth one last try.

The basis of the program is that each number is represented by a person that looks like the number and then a story is made up about the two numbers involved in the problem to help learners remember their times tables.

The particular times facts that are included are the following:

3 x 6, 3 x 7, 3 x 8, 3 x 9, 4 x 6, 4 x 7, 4 x 8, 4 x 9, 6 x6, 6 x 7, 6 x 8, 6 x 9, 7 x 7, 7 x 8, 7 x 9, 8 x 8, 8 x 9

A second dvd provides printable tests, cube games, crossword puzzles, and flashcards. The stories are meant to be reinforced. An hour is all that is needed to introduce the stories, but it is expected that those math facts will be reinforced with continued practice.

So, did it help? Yes. My son definitely got stronger with these particular math facts. This is a helpful resource for visual learners or those who remember stories much easier than random facts. If you have a child who has difficulty remembering times table facts, this is definitely worth a try.

Find out more and download a free sample at http://www.timestales.com/

 

Author: Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur

Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur, editor of "Today's Catholic Homeschooling", is the mother of two biological sons and one adopted daughter. She is in her seventeenth year of homeschooling. She has a B.A. in History and Fine Art and a Master's Degree in Applied Theology. She is the author of "The Crash Course Guide to Catholic Homeschooling" and "The Fruits of the Mysteries of the Rosary". She blogs at spiritualwomanthoughts.blogspot.com