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.
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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.
- 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).
- 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.
- I SOMETIMES do the writing while he walks me through the process of solving the problem.
- I SOMETIMES have him write the whole process out himself.
- 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).
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My son walking me through the process of how to solve this problem. |
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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.
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
Thanks for sharing this! I will bookmark this for when my kids are a little older :)
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome, and so wonderful of you to be so hands-on as a mother! Bookmarking for when my daughter is older!
ReplyDeleteI love how you do the faces in the numbers! I try to make math fun for my children, but I've never done that. Seeing your pictures reminded me of when my daughter went through a faze where she wanted to put faces in all her spelling words :) I will have to remember this for when we're having a tough day. I bet that would lighten things ups :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThese are the things I want them to remember - the fun things we did in school.
DeleteI am not to familiar with homeschooling and what it entails but if something makes it easier and allows for some fun I say WOHOO!! I know in the classroom we love trying to come up with fun and unique ways for our kids to learn as they are all so different:) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis looks very interesting! I'm going to check out their website. Thanks from a fellow Schoolhouse Review Crew member! :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Laurie! If you order it, let me know how it works for your family.
DeleteThis looks great! My daughter isn't of the age to need math help yet, but we'll take a look when she's ready!
ReplyDeleteI love your tips! What a great way to learn.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tara!
DeleteWe had some difficulty with math facts as well, until we found a computer program that worked!
ReplyDeleteMy oldest son learned math using a computer program. It's interesting to see the two different methods of teaching this subject.
DeleteI am going to have to check that out. We have tried a lot of programs and looking for a fresh start. I will need to check this program out. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteIf you end up purchasing it, let me know how the curriculum works for your family.
DeleteI think I'll check it out. Thanks. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat! If you decide to use it let me know how it works for your child(ren).
DeleteThanks for the review. I've been looking into changing math curriculum for my son. Not sure I'd heard of this one before, I may want to look into it more. Visiting from the 100 days/Boost your Blog challenge :)
ReplyDeleteHi Tracy! I can't even remember how I first came across this math curriculum as you're right, it's not one you hear mentioned often, but I am so glad that I did find it.
DeleteIf you decide to use it with your family, drop me a line and let me know how it works for you.
Your tips for teaching math are great! I think these could be applied to many homeschooling or even homework lessons.
ReplyDelete-Cristyl @ www.MyCHillThoughts.com
Thanks! They definitely help my son! :-)
DeleteI have never heard of this math program, it looks like it might be a great fit for my 10 year old next year. I often do the writing while my little one walks me through a problem too it can make math a lot easier.
ReplyDelete"I often do the writing while my little one walks me through a problem too it can make math a lot easier." Yes, indeed!
DeleteThis sounds like a math curriculum I really need to look into. We have been doing a lot of hand-on math and now that they are getting older I have been trying out some different curriculum (thanks to the Crew) but nothing has really seemed to click yet. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteIf you decide to use it let me know how it works our for your family. I have been really happy with it.
DeleteI'm a mom of four boys, looking into homeschooling, as we move to California. This is EXACTLY the kind of blog I've been looking for. Your youngest is the age of my oldest. This is perfect! Looking forward to reading more of your blog!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you found me. Boys sure make life exciting, don't they? There is never a dull moment around here with my two. :-)
DeleteI've not heard of this company and really think this could be interesting. We have used Math U See for several years with much love and learning but it never hurts to check out other things! Visiting today from BYB (however I visit often because of your Crew posts)
ReplyDeleteKayla, I used Math-U-See for one year when my oldest started homeschool. The one thing I didn't like about it was that it seemed like it was very repetitive and I remember, being that I had just started homeschooling, worried that my son would be behind in math. (This is when I used to compare what we were doing with what kids his age were doing in public school. I am so over that now! LOL!)
DeleteThe Learn Math Fast System offers more of a "go at your own pace" kind of feel; you can go as quickly or as slowly as you want.
Wow! That looks neat! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great system for learning!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!
Thanks for linking up to the Homeschool Link Up.
ReplyDeleteI've been using the Rightstart Math with my children, but my oldest is just about finished the curriculum, and I'm looking for what we'll move onto next.
I'm glad I was able to introduce you to the Learn Math Fast System. I know it's not one that you normally hear about in the homeschool world, however I think that will change as more people learn about it and use it. :-)
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