Helping Your Child Master the Times Tables: Five Ways to Add a Visual Approach to Teaching

Traditional methods of teaching math are not always the best way to instill key concepts. They are necessary in many cases, but they are not always enough on their own. Parents and teachers who strictly follow the textbook method of learning are missing out on other opportunities to help a student develop deep understanding. More traditional methods of teaching often fail to give a child the conceptual skills that he or she will need to develop a true understanding of what they are learning.

One easy way to add this extra element to learning is to simply add visual cues. There are simple methods to accomplish this, and it will take your child’s understanding to the next level.

In a 1994 study, it was shown that including visual aids in the teaching of mathematics allows students to understand better and to achieve better grades. It also showed that, in many cases, it changes the child’s point of view about math in general. For mathematics, visual learning is an excellent way of helping your child gain a thorough understanding of the concepts behind the math he or she is working on at any stage.

Using visual aids to teach the times tables

When it comes to teaching a child the times tables, adding visual elements is quite simple. To help you get started, we have developed these quick tips:

1. Add color: One way to add a visual element to teaching the times tables to your child is simply to add color. Anything which makes the tables more interesting, and attracts a child’s attention, will aid in engaging their youthful sense of curiosity.
   
2. Graph paper: Another easy way to help your child understand the times tables is by using graph paper. Use the columns to represent the first number in an equation and the rows to represent the second. In this way, you can use the paper as a multiplication grid.
   
3. Objects: To aid as a counting tool, try using simple objects like dried beans or marbles. This will allow your child to make representations using groups of objects as a visual aid.
   
4. Pictures: Drawing groups of objects on paper is another simple way to give your child a visual representation of a multiplication equation.
   
5. Charts: Drawing single numbers on a chart is an easy way to make a representation of an equation. In this case, you allow your child to see how multiplication relates to the addition skills they already have.
   

When your child is ready to learn multiplication, adding visual elements can greatly reduce the time it takes for him or her to grasp the whole concept, and learning the times tables in particular. This can be an excellent addition to the more traditional tools that allow for repetition and testing to aid in memorisation.