My 2nd Grader Will Soon Be Completing 3rd Grade Math Thanks to The Learn Math Fast System

When my youngest son was in the first grade I was given the opportunity to review the Learn Math Fast System (Volume 1) curriculum. Volume 1 covers 1st through 3rd grade math. We worked through the first part of the book and continued with it during his second year.

He will be finished with Volume 1 (3rd grade math) before the end of this school year.

I have to be honest here. I was a bit nervous about using a book to teach my son math. This wasn't something I had used with my oldest, and I wasn't too confident in my "math teaching skills." However, when I learned about the Learn Math Fast System, I was intrigued enough to want to try it and face my fears.

I am so glad I did!


My son has done so incredibly well with learning math thanks to the simple, yet detailed step-by-step instructions laid out in this math curriculum. I love that all of the answers are included in the back of the book and that there are many opportunities given for practice. (There are worksheets in the book and also online, though we have never had to use any of the online worksheets.)

I believe that part of my son's success is also based on the fact that I never rushed him through this book. Because it does cover several years of math, I never felt that pressure to "get it done" by the "end of the school year." Having it spread over three years (if needed) allowed me to take a more relaxed approach in teaching this math curriculum.

Being able to take it slow, also allowed us to have fun with math. This helped to keep my son interested.

My son really enjoys when I add funny faces to the numbers. Sometimes, I tell him the story behind each of the character's look. I usually get some laughter out of him when I do this.

Sometimes, my son likes to draw his own silly faces and tell me a story.

I'd like to end by sharing a few other tips that I feel has helped my son do well with The Learn Math Fast System.

1. I NEVER require him to complete a full worksheet or test in one sitting (except for the timed test in the beginning of the book which measures whether or not a child is ready to move on).


2. I ALWAYS break down the assignments into bite-size pieces. If the first section has 5 rows of problems, then I have him do one row a day, until I'm confident that he knows it; then we move on, even if the worksheet is not completed.


3. I SOMETIMES do the writing while he walks me through the process of solving the problem.


4. I SOMETIMES have him write the whole process out himself.


5. I ALWAYS have him take a break from math when he's having a rough day with it. We move on to another subject and then come back to it later (or the next day).

My son walking me through the process of how to solve this problem.

Here I had him write the final addition portion of the problem.

If you are interested in ordering the Learn Math Fast System, you can use the coupon code SLICE to receive $5.00 off any order (Update: Expires 12/31/15). You will enter the code during checkout in one of the "optional fields" located below the "email address" field. If you'd like to use Paypal, you will have to contact the company, and they will make sure you get $5 off your order. (Disclaimer: I will receive a small commission from any sale, which will help me maintain this blog. Thank you!)

UPDATE: I forgot to mention that the Learn Math Fast System covers Grades 1 through 11 (Algebra II).

UPDATE 4/7/15: They now have Volume VII which covers geometry!

JK Mergens is the author of the Learn Math Fast System curriculum. Read her article Don't Hate Me Just Because I'm Math.

Do you have a math teaching tip you'd like to share? I know your time is precious, so any comment you share below will be greatly valued.

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Photo Credit: woodleywonderworks via Compfight cc