I did not even consider teaching Ladybug to memorize multiplication facts this year until we were asked to review  Times Tales. She has already learned the basics of multiplication {the how and why}, but I have not emphasized memorization of the facts at all.

I have seen these DVDs online and have mostly overlooked them until now. I recommend YOU do not overlook them! Be sure to watch our video below to get a peek inside and see my daughter recalling what she had just learned!

 

The Basics…

It’s a 2 DVD set, we focused on DVD 1. DVD 1 teaches 3×6, 3×7, 3×8, 3×9, 4×6, 4×7, & 4×8  and DVD 2 teaches 4×9, 6×6, 6×7, 6×8, 6×9, 7×7, 7×8, 7×9, 8×8, 8×9, & 9×9.  They recommend working with only DVD 1 facts for at least a week before moving on.  It doesn’t cover 0, 1, 2, 5, and 10 which isn’t a problem for us since those are so much easier for most kids.

 

Each number has a character and each multiplication fact has a story.  It honestly made NO sense to me until I watched it myself.  Below you can see the characters for 7×4. Mrs. Week {7} sat on a chair {4} to go fishing and she caught 2 boots and 8 trout.  See that?  7×4 is 28!  The story teaches a memory trigger that then helps recall the math fact.

Even if it sounds confusing, trust me, it works!  Well, it did for her!  She had never been taught any of these and honestly learned them from this DVD after 1 time through.  These video clips were taken the 2nd time she watched the DVD, only because I didn’t think she would get it the first time so I didn’t bother taking any videos for you during her first viewing.  We watched the DVD once last week and then again this week, once. She could retell the stories and answer the quizzes after 1 viewing!

Here’s a video peek inside…

 

During her second viewing, we added in the flashcards and used the printable cubes to play with after the DVD!

 

We used the quiz after we watched the DVD, played with the cubes, and reviewed the flashcards together.  She got them all right with no help!

 

I am honestly a bit blown away, I wasn’t expecting it to work so well. If you are looking for a fun way to work on times tables, I highly recommend Times Tales.