Fun Times Educational Games

An introduction into the wonderful world of multiplication tables. Fun Times Education Games teaches you your multiplication tables in a fun and easy way.

Transcript

1. Introducing the “Fun Times” game…. Make learning Multiplication Tables FUN!
2. Introducing the “Fun Times” game…. In many cases, the multiplication tables are not learned well enough and thus the student has problems in later work. There are many reasons for this, including the fact that it requires a fair amount of time to drill them sufficiently, and that it is viewed as being a chore or being “boring.”
3. The solution.. Thérèse Sansfacon, a former teacher and tutor, invented a game which results in the multiplication tables being known 100% and which children like to play! She has been using this educational game for years with success.
4. The game... The game is a “Solitaire” game, thus the student can work by himself or herself at his or her own pace. No constant one-on-one attention is required by the teacher or parent. It was developed into a full system for learning the multiplication tables in three steps.
5. How it works... There is a colorful playing board and matching set of cards for each of the 12 times tables. The board is laid out in the shape of a clock, similar to Clock Solitaire. This is the board for the 3 times table. You can see that the answer to 3X1 is at 1 o’clock, the answer to 3X2 is at 2 o’clock, etc.
6. The cards which match the colours of the board are dealt out face-down on the playing board. (The 3 times table is used here for demonstration - when playing the game the student would start at Board #1 and progress through in sequence to Board #12.) How it works...
7. The student turns over one card and reads the question. He or she then says the answer out loud. How it works...
8. The student then checks the corresponding number on the clock to see if he or she got the right answer. In this case, the answer to 3X3=? would be at 3 o’clock. If the student said “9”, he or she got the right answer and can continue. How it works...
9. The student places the card which has already been used face-up and then turns over the card which was covering the answer from the last question, in this case 3X5=?, in order to continue playing. He or she then says the answer out loud for this question. How it works...
10. The answer is then checked by moving the card covering the 5 o’clock box. (The board’s layout also provides a visual aid to memorize the correct answers when the boxes are uncovered.) How it works...
11. If the answer was correct, the student places that card face-up in its place and continues by turning over the next card, in this case 3X12=? Let’s say the student says “34” out loud as the answer… How it works...
12. OOPS! When he or she looks at the 12 o’clock answer… that was obviously incorrect. Like a hand of Solitaire, this ends the play and the player must reshuffle and deal to start a new hand. Thus Step One is to memorize the correct answers until he or she can play all the way through. How it works...
13. The board at the end of Step One would look like this. --> However, it will be found that the student will still be “computing” the answers mentally and still be taking a long time to play through, i.e. “3 times that is 2 times that plus one more…” and other mental tricks.. This is not adequate for later work and timed testing. How it works...
14. How it works… Step 2 The next step then is to improve the speed and memorization of the answers. The game is played in the same way again, but this time using a timer (included). The student is required to play through with the correct answers in under one minute to pass Step 2.
15. How it works… Step 3 Step 3 is a series of three Quiz Booklets. Even these are self- administered (just make sure they’re not peeking!) The student fills in the answers and checks them off against the playing board. If the answers are correct, he or she continues. If any answers are incorrect, the game is played again and the Quiz retaken afterward.
16. In Quiz Booklet A and Quiz Booklet B, the student fills in the multiplication results. Quiz Booklet C is slightly different - they fill in the multiplicand. This leads them into easily understanding division when it is introduced later. Once the quizzes are passed, the student moves on to the next “level” - the next board in number sequence. How it works… Step 3
17. Once the student has passed the 12 times tables in this way, there is a “Monster Quiz” covering questions from all of the times tables. Once this is passed, you KNOW that the student has them all 100%! Then he or she gets their “certificate” of “I know them all!” How it works… Step 3
18. Testimonials... "When I was in Grade four, I didn't really like mathematics and believed that I had difficulties in that subject. At that point, I started using this game and then I mastered my multiplication tables. I am now in Grade eleven and am excelling in math." C.L.
19. Testimonials... "I had never succeeded in learning my times tables before using this game. Now I know them by heart. I continue to practice them regularly as I love the game, it's fun!" P.H.
20. Testimonials... “After we brought the game home that evening, the whole family played with it, having races with the different boards. The next morning when I got up, my 11-year old daughter had been up since 6 AM playing with it!” Mother “My son never liked multiplication. But after they brought this game in to test it in his class, he eagerly left for school the next morning wearing his watch with a timer on it as he wanted to beat his time from the previous day! Wow!” Mother
21. Testimonials... "I think that Fun Times is a good game because it helped me to learn the times tables really fast and it is really fun. Now I can remember my times tables." D.
22. Testimonials... "Since my class started playing that game I have noticed an improvement not only with their ability but with their willingness to learn their times tables. The kids do not moan and groan about this game like they do when I pull out flash cards. This game makes learning fun. They actually go and get it off the shelf by themselves to play it!" L.S. (Teacher)
23. The Creator… Thérèse Sansfacon; the creator of the "Fun Times" game, which makes learning the multiplication tables fun! Thérèse has trained and worked as a teacher in Quebec. She has also worked over 11 years as a full-time tutor in Ontario. Additionally she has home- schooled 9 children for several years. She wanted to help children more broadly and thus decided to make her educational game available to all.