Learning mental arithmetic can be both a hard and easy experience for any kid. There are many factors that can contribute to this. Now, time and strategy are two of the biggest factors to learning it. Scientific discoveries and psychological studies show that there is a certain time of a day that the brain is most prone to learning and retaining information. These discoveries also show that there are some ways to make the whole process of studying more interesting and fun. Obviously, you can use these discoveries to make this learning easier for your children.
How to Study
Most people have their most fun memories during grade school or primary school. And you can help your children create the best memories too. Your children should be able to enjoy school- every part and minute of it. And this is the best method of learning for any kid: make learning fun. A young child has a strong kinaesthetic side to them. Now, kinaesthetic, when we talk about learning mental arithmetic, is the style of learning wherein physical activity and interaction plays a huge role. Some of kinaesthetic styles of learning mental arithmetic involve the use of images, dialogues and creativity. When your child is learning, it would be best to use flash cards. This activity can be very exciting for kids because of time pressure. It is also a great way for them to develop the visualization skills of your children. Now, if your child enjoys listening to music, you can use this interest to as an effective way to make learning mental arithmetic fun for them. You can help them make their own recordings of their lessons.
When to Study
Most kids look at learning mental arithmetic as like taking an extra class. It's a burden. I'm sure they think that they could use the time they allot to learning mental arithmetic to more enjoyable things like playing and hanging out with friends.
Now, ideally, the most optimal time for a person to study is during the night-time. More specifically, the few hours before you go to bed.
This sounds really weird for some people because we're more accustomed to resting and relaxing during the night. But it has been proven that the mind is more lucid and able to retain new information just right before a person goes to sleep.
During this time your subconscious mind is almost open. Any information entering your subconscious mind is usually stored into your long-term memory. And that's good news for a child.
Have you ever wondered why you never forget your name? That's because that bit of information is stored in your long-term memory.
When we learn something new and when your kids are learning mental arithmetic, this information is automatically stored in the brain's short-term memory.
Now, I know that this isn't something that is greatly feasible in a case of a growing child but here are two alternative suggestions:
1. Just read to them or ask them to read a book about mental arithmetic before going to sleep. They are more capable of memorization during this time.
2. Schedule their mental arithmetic lessons at a time where your kids are most calm and relaxed.