He’s using my interactive multiplication flashcards to “study,” though you could also just write the problems on index cards.Īnother fun activity we’re doing to help him memorize his multiplication facts is playing a game using my free printable, generic game board and 2 blank dice. After 2 days, he now has 3×1 through 3×6 memorized. After 1 day, he was able to say all his doubles superfast. He couldn’t even do his twos without stopping to think. When I made this chart 3 days ago, all he knew were his ones and tens. Before he redeems any rewards, I want there to be nothing in this probation area.Īnyway, will my child be ruined for life for having used a star chart? I’m not going to lie. If he does forget something he’s already memorized, I plan to put that fact on a post-it note in the bottom section.

He can check off the rewards as he redeems them.Īnother feature of these star charts is a section called “On Probation.” This is in case my son shows me one day that he knows a fact, so earns a star, but then later fails to recall that fact when we’re reviewing. However, if my son needs a little boost, I wrote in rewards of candy, board game, video game, ice cream, tv show, make cookies, and a grand prize of $5. Of course, the satisfaction of a job well done SHOULD be all that’s needed. I also chose rewards that I could live with that I thought would motivate him. I made these multiplication star charts so that he could keep track of what he already knew and what he still needed to learn. I want him to WANT to learn them without complaining, whining, or otherwise driving me crazy.

He nees to memorize the multiplication tables. For now, I don’t see the harm in giving him a little help. Hopefully when he’s older, he’ll learn to self-motivate. My son can’t help the fact that he’s just a kid. Even though I know it’s a bad habit, I still reward myself with candy for completing tasks I really dread. I don’t know how I would have gotten through college without bribing myself to sit down and get my work done so that I could watch a rerun of Friends before dinner. There’s another reason why I don’t really mind bribing my son to memorize his multiplication tables. Do I care if my son never chooses to study his multiplication facts on his own? Not really, as long as he knows them. After all, even though they have a bad rap, bribes can be really effective in the moment. However, I can’t help but feel that they deserve a place in my parenting toolbox. I know that there can be pitfalls with using star charts.

Multiplication chart for 8