I received an email this week from a concerned parent about how to teach math facts to her child with dyslexia.
“At what point should I let my daughter just use a calculator or multiplication chart. I’ve tried so many different curriculums and methods and she’s not retaining it and it’s held us back from going forward in math for 3 years. She’s still in a 3rd grade curriculum halfway through 5th grade bc of it. Thank you.“
Teaching math facts to kids with dyslexia can be challenging as it is super common for them to struggle with working memory, sequencing, and processing speed. However, with the right strategies, tools, and mindset, they can successfully master both addition and multiplication facts. In this post, we’ll explore the best approaches to teaching math facts to kids with dyslexia, ensuring they build strong numerical fluency while boosting confidence in their mathematical abilities.
Before I talk about how to teach kids with dyslexia their math facts, a quick tip:
I don’t recommend not progressing with your math curriculum if they’re struggling to remember their math facts. Allow the use of a math fact chart to help them complete their lessons. This is an acceptable accommodation frequently offered to kids in traditional schools.
I allow my kids to use a calculator when working on their math lessons starting in about 3rd or 4th grade, especially for long division.
Understanding the Challenges of Dyslexia in Math
While dyslexia is primarily associated with reading difficulties, it also affects mathematical learning. Kids with dyslexia may have difficulty:
- Retaining math facts due to weak working memory
- Understanding the sequential nature of addition and multiplication
- Processing numbers quickly
- Recognizing number symbols and connecting them to their meanings
- Learning through traditional rote memorization methods
Given these challenges, a multi-sensory, structured, and engaging approach to teaching math facts is essential.
Effective Strategies for Teaching Addition Facts
1. Use Multi-sensory Techniques
Children with dyslexia benefit from engaging multiple senses while learning. Instead of simply reciting math facts, try:
- Tactile Methods: Have them write numbers in sand, trace them on textured paper, or use clay to form numbers.
- Visual Methods: Use color-coded flashcards, number lines, and manipulatives like counters or Unifix cubes.
- Auditory Methods: Encourage them to say facts aloud, use rhythmic chants, or listen to songs that reinforce math facts.
Some of my kids relied on skip counting songs even into high school as they worked to remember their math facts.
2. Focus on Number Relationships
Rather than memorizing random facts, help children understand number relationships:
- Teach doubles first (e.g., 2+2, 3+3) since they are easier to recall.
- Use friendly numbers like 10 (e.g., knowing 8+2 helps with 8+3).
- Show fact families (e.g., 3+4=7, so 7-4=3).
3. Incorporate Games and Interactive Activities
Making learning fun can increase engagement and retention. Try:
- Card games: War with addition facts, where the higher sum wins
- Board games: Math Bingo, Sum Swamp, or Roll-and-Add games
- Digital apps: Math apps like Reflex Math, Math Facts Pro, or DoodleMaths
Visit my Amazon Storefront for a ton of multi-sensory math games and resources.
4. Use Mnemonics and Storytelling
Using a story-based approach can help kids visualize and remember facts. For example:
- “6 + 7 = 13” could be remembered as “Six and seven had a party, and 13 friends showed up!”
- Mnemonics like “Sum Swamp Stories” can provide a fun way to recall number pairs.
See my review for the Times Alive app that uses creative storytelling to learn math facts.
5. Implement a Structured Approach with Repetition
Repeated exposure in a structured manner is key. Use:
- Daily practice in small chunks (5-10 minutes a day)
- Flashcard reviews with visual and auditory reinforcement
- Spiral learning, revisiting facts periodically to reinforce retention
Effective Strategies for Teaching Multiplication Facts
1. Start with Foundational Concepts
Before memorizing multiplication tables, ensure your child understands:
- Multiplication as repeated addition (e.g., 3×4 is the same as 3+3+3+3)
- Skip counting (e.g., counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s)
- The commutative property (e.g., 3×4 = 4×3)
2. Leverage Patterns and Visual Aids
Recognizing patterns can make multiplication easier to grasp:
- Highlight patterns in multiplication tables (e.g., the 9s trick: the sum of the digits in 9×X always equals 9)
- Use a multiplication chart and have your child color in patterns
- Display posters with visual groupings to reinforce times tables
3. Make It Multi-sensory
Just like with addition, using multiple senses helps reinforce multiplication facts:
- Tactile: Build arrays with blocks or create multiplication facts with playdough
- Auditory: Sing multiplication songs or chant rhymes (e.g., “5, 10, 15, 20” to a catchy tune)
- Kinesthetic: Use jump ropes, claps, or stomps to practice skip counting
Visit my Amazon Storefront for a ton of multi-sensory math games and resources.
4. Introduce Tricks and Mnemonics
Some multiplication facts are harder to remember, so tricks can be useful:
- Finger trick for 9s: Hold up ten fingers, fold down the number you’re multiplying by 9, and the remaining fingers show the answer (e.g., for 9×7, hold up ten fingers, fold the seventh finger, and see 63). See this video that teaches the 9 finger trick.
- Rhymes for hard facts: “Eight times eight fell on the floor, picked it up and it was 64.”
5. Play Games for Engagement
Games make learning multiplication facts enjoyable:
- Multiplication war: A card game where players multiply two drawn cards
- Dice games: Roll two dice and multiply the numbers
- Online games: Websites like Multiplication.com and Prodigy Math
6. Provide Real-World Connections
Make multiplication meaningful by relating it to daily life:
- Cooking: Doubling a recipe
- Shopping: Calculating price totals for multiple items
- Sports: Counting points in sets (e.g., 3 points per basketball shot)
General Tips for Success Teaching Math Facts
1. Be Patient and Encouraging
Kids with dyslexia often take longer to retain math facts. Encourage effort over speed, and celebrate progress.
2. Use Accommodations
There are many tools that can support learning:
- Use math fact charts during math lessons
- Allow the use of a calculator to solve parts of longer math problems
- Math manipulatives in digital form
3. Individualize the Approach
Every child is different. Experiment with different strategies and adapt based on what works best for your child’s learning style.
Conclusion
Teaching math facts to kids with dyslexia requires a creative, structured, and multi-sensory approach. By incorporating hands-on activities, visual aids, rhythmic patterns, and engaging games, children can build strong foundational skills in both addition and multiplication. With patience, encouragement, and the right resources, they can develop confidence and fluency in math, paving the way for future academic success.
If you’ve tried any of these strategies, let us know in the comments! What has worked best for your child?
More Math Resources
[Resource List] Programs for Teaching Math and Math Facts to Kids With Dyslexia
[Online Course] Teaching Math to Kids With Dyscalculia
Visit my Amazon Storefront for a ton of multi-sensory math games and resources.
Download a multiplication facts chart
Download a math factor chart (helpful with fractions and factoring problems)
[Post] How Dyslexia Affects Math Skills
[Post] How to Teach Math to Kids With Dyslexia
[Post] Understanding Dyscalculia
My daughter is in 3rd grade and is at a 1st grade math level. Throughout my years of homeschooling her, I have never pushed for her to be able to retain her math facts but I can see the grasping of it as so critical to advancing. (I.E. the need to learn addition and subtraction up to ten in order to grasp up to twenty.) Despite that I will spend inordinate amounts of time teaching her some concept, I have found that if she’s just not ready to grasp a concept, there is little point in trying to spend more time on it, let alone move forward since it consistently gets more challenging. I have found myself often hitting walls with not being able to progress in a curriculum because she is unable to grasp something beyond a point. Once or twice a year I end up switching to a different math curriculum in a sort of rotation to reinforce the gaps in other areas I believe she is capable of tackling. While I have found my groove with teaching her reading, math just continues to challenge us always. I often employ the above recommendations but curriculums only offer so much and I have never found one that progresses at the pace she truly needs. Advice would be so appreciated.
I think, in a way, you answered your own questions, Rebecca. If your daughter isn’t ready to master a topic, there is no point in pressing her. However, a little review, math games, etc each day or week adds up eventually. In the end, there are still some kids who move on from learning math facts to using accommodations and that seems to work for them.
Great article! packed with so much info; THANKS!
Thanks, Amy!
My dyslexic son, (also diagnosed with dyscalculia) graduates college in May. He successfully completed the honors program and will be earning both a degree in psychology as well as economics. He starts graduate school next fall. And he did this without being able to memorize math facts.
We did try. But when he started to hate math, I charted a new path. He insisted he wanted to go to college. I agreed. Eventually, he used a calculator. Before that, we focused on number relationships. I taught him how to create his own multiplication grid. Filling practice helped reinforce number patterns (including fractions). I taped off a number line in the kitchen. Jumping back and forth helped him “feel” addition and subtraction. We modeled relationships between addition and multiplication with groupings of his favorite toys. On rough days, he spent hours on logic games (a strength) on websites such as Cool Math for Kids. We *gasp* skipped long division after several miserable efforts. (It is not commonly encountered in college math courses.)
I manipulated instructional materials to group related concepts like ratios, percents, and fractions. I highlighted his strengths in tackling concepts. We persevered through tears and tantrums (including my own!) I spaced bite-sized lessons throughout the day instead of one long lesson.
Most importantly, I built confidence. At the beginning of 3rd grade, he announced “I am stupid in math.” My first mission was to prove him wrong. I taught him a 6th grade concept (the quadrant number line), because testing showed a strength in visual-spatial skills. He understood immediately and galloped through the exercises. His confidence exploded when I revealed he had mastered an advanced concept three years early.
Remember that struggles build character and determination. We struggled daily. But I never lost faith in his capabilities. And that makes his success all the sweeter.
Thank you for sharing your story, Angela! Your creativity and perseverance has certainly paid off!