Customer Reviews

Times Tables the Fun Way: Book for Kids: A Picture Method of Learning the Multiplication Facts

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

My son, a rising fourth-grader who has ADHD and poor memory skills, strugged all last spring in school trying to memorize his math tables. We drilled and drilled, made flash cards, bought a times-table placemat - all to little avail. Even if he got some of the facts to stick with him through the test the next day, by the next week, he had forgotten them. The only ones he could remember were ones we had done some kind of word or image association with, and I was daunted by the idea that I needed to make up an association for EVERY MATH FACT. Then I found out that the Rodriguezes had done that with this book, so I bought it. And I can tell you unequivocally, it works. Using a combination of a somewhat silly picture and a story to go with it, the child uses visualization and association to remember the fact. It especially appeals to kids who have strong verbal/language skills and are creative.

My son learns one math table a week (working only 1/2 hour at a time three days a week), and the next week, he still knows them. AND, he thinks it's really fun to see what the next picture and story will be.

Boy, was this worth it (and boy, was all that drilling that made everybody miserable last spring NOT worth it) to buy this book. A special note, the spiral edition has heavy-coated pages, so it can stand up to plenty of use, which it will get when we use it for our younger child and lend it out to teachers with our recommendation that they obtain one for their classroom. Many thanks to the Rodriguezes for helping us get out of the multiplication table hassle we were in.

I teach 5th grade and thought 2 of my kids would never learn their times tables. I thought I had tried everything. Their parents were baffled. Then I found this book and presto! my two kids learned in no time at all! One of the kids is a resource kid too, with almost no memory skills. The book is way overpriced but it is so effective that it's totally worth every penny!

I have a 4th grader who has ADHD and a learning disability. One full year after learning this system, he still remembers the stories and remembers all his times tables. Thanks to this system, he is now on grade level.

The system works because the stories are DETAILED. Having an interesting story read to them and reinforced with a simple memory system, makes the math facts stick.

Those who order the book, take one look, and send it back without giving it a try... well.. you gave back a system that really does work.

How else would I have a 4th grader who can sound off his times tables in seconds, yet has to think for a minute about his simple addition facts? I am ordering the addition system immediately !

It Really worked!

My son is Dyslexic, and we have struggled with learning times tables for over a year.( and still didn't know them.) I was shocked (3) 35 minute sessions and my son knew his times tables. ( I cried ) It was a joyous moment for me.

I called all his past teachers and told them about this book.

This is a must have for any child who needs assistance with the multipication facts.

I've now done this book with 3 kids (a boy and 2 girls), and it's so easy and, yes, FUN. One girl was here visiting and picked it up because of the colorful cover and asked me to go through the book with her. She's a 5th-grade ESL student struggling in math. She was blown away at how easy this was and surprised herself at how well it helped her remember her facts. Even my 5yodd (who is also attracted to the colorful pictures and stories) remembers some of the facts.

All the pages are sturdy un-bendable, water-resistant extremely heavy cardstock. It comes as a spiral-bound book so that you can bend it back and show the big picture (trigger) on one page while you read the (short) story to them from the facing page. Each section has a little memory review and there is a pre/post test at the end to measure your progress. Also, as I stated before, the book is very colorful and fun to look at, so kids can't help picking it up and flipping through it. The student book is really the only thing you need (there are other bells and whistles, but they're not neccessary) and well worth the price. Kids can read through this on their own and at their own pace. Whether they're learning all the facts from the beginning or brushing up on just a few that they just cannot seem to remember, this book can do it. A table of contents at the beginning tell them exactly what page to turn to to learn which fact.

It is SSOOOO important that kids learn their facts cold before going into higher maths. Standardized tests are timed and they cannot get bogged down and side-tracked with what the answer to 7x8 is.

I wish something like this was available when I was a kid.

BTW, for more really great (easy) trigger memory systems (not by this author) check out "Yo, Sacramento! (And All Those Other State Capitals You Don't Know): Memorize Them All (Forever) in 20 Minutes Without Trying" and "Yo, Millard Fillmore! (And All Those Other Presidents You Don't Know)" by Will Cleveland and Mark Alvarez. My 10yo learned all the States/Capitals and all Presidents/# effortlessly and in only 40min (total) per book.

As a homeschooling mom I was concerned about teaching the times tables. I have memories of agonizing over those flash cards for hours and didn't want them to have that same experience. (I never DID get the 8 times tables down pat.) We loved this book and the workbook and flashcards were a huge help. My 4th grader is very strong with her times tables and the kindergartner knows many of the stories. I have recommended it to other mothers and will continue to do so!

There is no need to think twice about buying this book. It is a must have for ALL children. I struggled with learning my times tables as a child (and still can't remember some of them part of the time). IF only this book would have been written back then! I bought it for my 10 year old who is still very slow with his multiplication (relies on skip counting too much). The stories are so interesting and the cartoons are so cool that I can't even keep my five year old away from it! My 10 year old already has the few that we've gone over stuck in his mind. I know the price seems high, but it is so worth it! The book is made EXTREMELY nice and durable. It is spiral bound and the pages are heavy duty with a slick finish. It will last through many children.
I actually have gone ahead and ordered the addition one for my 5 year old since he loved the multiplication one (and needs to learn addition first). Another GREAT book based on this same type of visual and associational learning (that's lots of fun) is Vocabulary Cartoons. They have one for elementary and one for high school. My 10 year old has learned tons of new vocabulary words through this book also. :-)

I am an elementary teacher who just introduced multiplication to my third graders. This book allowed me to cover times tables in half the time it would have taken me to use the text used by my district. Students were enthusiastic about the stories and love to retell them continuously. This is a fantastic tool for any student who is struggling or is being introduced to multiplication. I highly recommend this book to parents, students and other educational personnel.

This book did not work for my low students. A few of these are cute and memorable, but most are too long. The kids liked the stories but they didn't help them memorize the facts.

Too detailed. A few stories are cute and remembered easily, but the rest are too detailed for my fourth graders, and they forget which detail is used to remember the fact.