Twelve minutes a day. A pencil, a timer, and you. Kids who know their math facts by heart have room left in their heads for the hard part of a problem. A few minutes every day beats an hour on Sunday.
Every night, the same four parts
| Part | Minutes | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-up | 2 | You call out facts they already know. They answer out loud, fast. |
| New facts | 4 | Two or three new facts only. Look, say, cover, write from memory, check. |
| Mixed practice | 4 | A short list mixing the new facts with old ones. |
| One-minute sprint | 2 | Timer on. Count correct answers; add the number to a chart on the fridge. |
What to practice, by grade
| Grade | Focus | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Spring of 2nd | The 2s and 4s ("double it, then double it again") | Every 2s and 4s fact to × 12, in about three seconds |
| 3rd | The whole table to 12 × 12, a few families a month | Every fact without counting by the last day of school |
| 4th | Keep facts sharp; add division as the same fact turned around | 42 ÷ 7 as fast as 6 × 7 |
| 4th–6th | Fractions: equal fractions, more or less than half, simplifying | Fraction, decimal, and percent matches like 3/4 = 0.75 = 75% |
| 5th–6th | Prime factorization, once facts are solid | One factor tree a night |
House rules
- Twelve minutes, max. Stop when the timer goes off, even mid-problem.
- Same time every day. Right after dinner works for most families.
- Pencil, paper, and your voice. No screens.
- Mix old with new. Every night includes facts they already know.
- End on a win. The last fact of the night is one they know.
- You don't have to be good at math. Put the answer on the back of every card. You're the coach.
"Fluent" means about three seconds, with no counting on fingers. Right but slow isn't there yet.
Why it works
- Quizzing yourself and spreading practice over time were the only two study habits rated highly effective in a major review of ten common ones (Dunlosky et al. 2013(opens in a new tab)).
- In a large study, 5th graders' knowledge of fractions and division predicted their high school algebra and overall math, even after accounting for IQ, reading, and family income (Siegler et al. 2012(opens in a new tab)).
Free tools: Facts on Fire(opens in a new tab) (built by Dr. Brian Poncy) and Math-Drills(opens in a new tab) printable sheets. A pack of index cards works just as well.
Sources
- Dunlosky et al. 2013, study techniques (opens in a new tab)
psychologicalscience.org
- Siegler et al. 2012, early predictors of high school math (opens in a new tab)
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Facts on Fire: math fact practice (opens in a new tab)
factsonfire.com
- Math-Drills: printable multiplication sheets (opens in a new tab)
math-drills.com
