Timed Math Tests

Hi Janet.

My little ones are not in school yet and don't have to deal with this yet, but from what I remember, these tests are to encourage memorization, not problem solving. Kids should start to be able to recognize 5 + 3 = 8 without hesitation. Don't you remember the huge multiplication grid in 4th grade? We had to finish that thing in lightening speed so many times I can't remember.

Anyway, I think flashcards at home are the best thing to do. It's fun to make a game out of it and to make it competitive if there is anyone else around to blurt out the answers too.

If your son is doing well in math and doesn't have a problem with figuring out answers, then all of have to do is boost his confidence in himself so he knows he can do this stuff fast and without thinking because it's soooo easy to him.

Good luck.

I am not at this stage yet with my children. But I understand your concern. These are just a few ideas that might help. Try quizzing him without the use of paper, like an oral exam, maybe on your drive home, etc. Maybe set a timer for him and tell him that he has to answer 10 in a minute and build up from there. And most of all just have him relax. We all get frustrated when we are pushed for time and we all learn at different rates. Just be positive and keep him thinking.

If the problem is memorization (and seriously, this is about the least fun way I can think of to learn memorization), then try flashcard draw.

This game requires 2 kids (or you can sub for a kid, but it's less fair, because I assume you know how to subtract). Each kid stands back to back and holds a flashcard up on their head. They walk 3 paces, turn, and shout out the answer. Since each kid has a different card, each gets a different answer. That's a fun game. In a classroom setting, the winner stays to battle the next kid, and the looser gets back in line. The kids rarely last more than a few rounds.

If the problem is he gets too nervous being timed, do a lot of practice tests. Tell him you're not going to make him stop after a certain time, you just want to see how long it takes. Then have him start. Once he's done, tell him how long it took, and say something like, "That's not so bad, you're practically there". Then the next day tell him it's time to practice again, and this time your going to time him for the exact time he did it yesterday. Tell him this, but add 5-10s so that he's likely to get it done and not become too upset. You just want to get the idea in his head that it's totally doable. This is just to get used to the timer. Then once he can do it with the timer, tell him lets see if we can do it 5sec faster (or another small increment). Keep backing up the time until he fits in the alloted time with a good margin (I'm thinking 10-15sec), because he will be more nervous when he does it at school. Huge amounts of practice on taking the test, in as fun a way as possible is how you're going to have to get through it. Once he gets over his phobia of the timer, beating the timer is fun. If you're lucky, once he beats his fear of the timer, it won't come back for other data sets, but be prepared to practice for at least the next few. And always ask if he wants to practice before the test.

On a side note, is this what substitutes for math these days? I remember having to do worksheets sure, but there were a lot more games than worksheets, and then it was right on into word problems, which are more fun. and it certainly didn't hurt me, I'm good at math and did just fine on those Stanford 9 achievement tests. Sigh, makes me realize that I'm going to be doing most of the actual teaching of my son (he's not school age yet) if I don't want him burned out by the time he's 10.

Hi, Janet. My third-grader has this exact same problem. He's very smart in math, getting As on his tests and whizzing through his homework. But, when it comes to timed tests, which now include multiplication, his brain just shuts down. I've talked to his teacher about it, and we both agree it's just not something he does well with. (He also doesn't like intense competition or other pressures, so this makes sense.) His teacher is fine with it, and so am I. It does impact his grade, but we all understand why. As long as he knows the information and understands it, I don't care how fast he does it. Like he says, "I'm not a calculator!"

Karina Bland is raising her 9-year-old son in Tempe with a lot of love, humor and support from her friends and family. A longtime journalist covering child welfare and education issues for The Arizona Republic, she blogs about raising good kids.

Wow, there are a bunch of smart Moms here. I used to be a teacher, and I'm working on a strategy to be a teacher again, so I'm very interested in these conversations.

I'm not a fan of memorization for memorization's sake. In most cases, I think understanding that numbers represent something is more important than barking out answers to questions. On the other hand, there are some things that are useful to commit to memory. It's a lot easier to just know that 8+4=12 starting at age 7 than it is to be figuring it out for the next 90 years.

To give the curriculum the benefit of the doubt, I'm guessing that the timed tests are meant to test memorization. Timed tests are a challenge for brighter kids. They don't like memorizing; they want to know, "Why?"

Two questions. If I were to build a simple (free to AZ Moms) computer program that walked kids through memorizing 2nd and 3rd-grade addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division -- and then provided timed tests, would you find that helpful to your child? Are any of you Moms interested in helping by sharing the contents of the timed tests your children take, and then providing feedback on the program?

My daughter never did get through a timed test on time... It just wasn't something she was good at. She still got through elementary school and Jr. High and High School and now she is an education major at ASU. Everything will work out fine. Don't worry. If everyone was the best at everything, we'd all be bored to tears. And a "B" or a "C" never hurt anyone in the second grade. He sounds like a great kid with a very attentive mommy :) He'll be fine...