Multiplication Facts That Stick Review: Does it Really Work?

Teaching your kid math facts, especially multiplication facts, can be a living nightmare for any parent.

I mean, my kid can’t remember to put shoes on before she runs outside – how much more difficult is it to remember dozens of random math facts?!

As you throw your hands up and wonder, “How can I help my child learn multiplication facts?!” – I want you to know you’re not alone!

I have been on the roller coaster of math fact torture – complete with tears – and I don’t wish it on my worst enemy.

This Multiplication Facts that Stick review is designed to give you a brutally honest (including my kid’s comments!) and clear picture of the curriculum, so that you can make the best decision for you and your child!

How I First Heard of Multiplication Facts that Stick

My first year of homeschooling math was a nightmare.

I did pretty much everything wrong when it came to helping my 1st grader memorize math facts.

I’m not joking or exaggerating at all.

I’m lucky I didn’t destroy my whole homeschool before it had barely started.

Anyhow, I think I saw something about Addition Facts that Stick on Pinterest and I checked it out on Amazon.

Total honesty here – I just figured it was one more thing that wouldn’t work.

I didn’t want to waste any more money, so I passed on  buying it.

Huge mistake

As the math fact monster followed me through addition, subtraction, and multiplication, I found myself circling back to Multiplication Facts that Stick.

I needed something to really cement the facts for my daughter so she would have a solid foundation before starting  her division facts.

I decided to finally give Facts that Stick a whirl!

Exactly How “Multiplication Facts that Stick” Works

When you first look at Multiplication Facts that Stick, it can be pretty intimidating.

The book is huge.

It was actually the same size as a full math curriculum we own – and this was just for multiplication facts!

Because of the size of it, I’ll admit that I sort of put off getting started with the curriculum right away.

Once I started flipping through the pages though, I realized that a large amount of the “bulk” was really removable game boards and worksheets – not so bad!

Here are some more things you can expect from  “Multiplication Facts that Stick.”

1. The book is designed to be used 5 days a week for 10 weeks.

2. Each week is devoted to a set of facts (i.e. the 3 times tables)

3. A typical lesson will start with your child reciting as best they can the multiplication facts of the week. For us, I would just randomly ask my kid the facts of the week and write her answers on a small whiteboard.

4. Then we would play the designated game of the day to reinforce those facts. Every day there is a simple game and there is a corresponding game board to pull out of your book.

5. After the game, the child does “independent practice” and completes two worksheets that you can also pull out of the book.

6. Certain lessons also include strategies to help you figure out and retain the multiplication facts…but I can’t share all those details, can I 🙂

How We Used “Multiplication Facts that Stick” in Our Homeschool

We began using it as a “warm up” for her regular math curriculum and that worked perfectly for us.

Doing this math supplement helped “prime her brain” so to speak, before she sat down to do her regular math curriculum.

My daughter really began to look forward to it and would consistently ask for her math “warm up.”

How long does “Multiplication Facts that Stick” take to do every day?

Some of the lessons that teach strategy will take longer, but I would say I spent an average of 15 minutes with my daughter reviewing facts and playing a game.

Then she would go and do the independent worksheets, which would take her 10-20 minutes to do – depending on how focused she was.

I know some math curriculums can get way out of hand with how much time is devoted to completing every item. But, I really felt like this was a reasonable amount of time considering it was creating a solid math foundation and my daughter thought it was fun.

What I Love About “Multiplication Facts that Stick”

1. Price

As math curriculums and supplements go, Multiplication Facts that Stick is definitely on the less expensive side of things.

Especially considering the size and everything that comes in this book, it is an excellent deal.

2. Minimal Prep

Each lesson is written out for you with great detail of what you are supposed to do.

You just open the book and go! You may want to pre-read some of the lessons that are more “strategy” focused so you can explain it more clearly.

I did not take the time to do that though, and we were fine.

3. Minimal Supplies Needed

Many math curriculums out there require a ridiculous amount of supplies in order to play games.

I would always be annoyed as I was floundering to grab some dried up play dough or whatever was being asked for.

Multiplication Facts that Stick only requires you to have a deck of playing cards, 20 small counters (i.e. beans or small blocks), and 2 regular dice – that’s it!

4. Games!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When at all possible, I think elementary aged kids should learn through games – especially with math!

This math supplement is based on playing games, which we loved in our homeschool!

My daughter has a nice competitive streak in her, so she truly loved playing against me.

I loved that we were laughing and having fun instead of “drill and kill” flashcards.

5. Don’t need to hold on to anything

Every lesson has a game…and a new game board.

So when the lesson is over, you can just toss the game board in the recycling bin.

No need to worry about losing it or your younger ones spilling juice all over it!

6. Nothing is timed

My daughter really doesn’t like being timed. Any math fact game that requires her to go as fast as she can causes her more stress than it’s worth.

I imagine this is true for any kid who struggles with math facts.

Thankfully, Multiplication Facts that Stick works to increase confidence and fluency in a very gentle way.

7. Games are built on brilliant strategy

I didn’t fully realize this until we were about half way through the curriculum.

One day I looked at the game boards and gasped! There is a very specific reason they order the games the way that they do.

The first four days of the week, the answers are on the game board and your child just has to place her counter on the right number.

Why does this matter?

This helps your child build confidence as they sort through the numbers in front of them – they do no not have to try and pull a number out of their head!

Having to come up with an answer, especially when learning new facts, can be very stressful.

On day 5 there is a game board called “Over and Under” and there are no answers for your child to pick from.

By this point in the week, your child is more confident and ready to play without any “help.”

8. Constant Review

I love that the independent worksheets continued to ask about facts from previous weeks.

It really helped to make sure that my child was retaining everything she was learning.

9. Answers are in the back of the book

It can be a little tedious at times to go through and check the worksheets.

The writers of the books were really smart to put an answer key in the back so that you can quickly check for errors or your kid can check their own work.

10. Math Fact Results!

As I said, my daughter was pretty wobbly with her facts when we started Multiplication Facts that Stick.

This curriculum has delivered on everything I was hoping for and more.

She is confident with her math facts and it shows when she does her regular daily math.

Here is the last worksheet she completed – she got 100% and did it with a smile.

What more could a homeschool mom ask for?

What I Didn’t Love About “Multiplication Facts that Stick”

I always try to include the things I didn’t love in every review I write.

The truth is that no curriculum is perfect. There is always something that we homeschool moms wish we could tweak or change.

1. Multiplication Facts that Stick is Consumable

What does that mean?

It means that when your kid is done with the curriculum, you can’t pass it on to the next kid.

You will have ripped out (and probably lost) every game board and workbook page.

2. The curriculum can get a little monotonous.

As the weeks went by, my daughter and I started to get a little tired of playing the same games over and over again with different facts.

Sometimes we did the games and sometimes we didn’t towards the end.

3. It does not teach 11 and 12 facts

My daughter does not need to know the 11 and 12 facts this year, but I wish it had been included with this great program.

Luckily, the curriculum has built in strategies to help her figure out the answer fairly quickly on her own.

What my 8 year old had to say about Multiplication Facts that Stick

So I liked it, but what does my daughter really think about this giant book of game boards and worksheets?

Here is a short, completely uncoached interview with my daughter to answer this question:

Me: What did you like about Multiplication Facts that Stick?

8 Year Old: The graph worksheets – I loved it! And the Four in a Row Game. That one was really fun.

Me: What didn’t you like about it?

8 Year Old: I didn’t like the worksheets with mixed up math facts because it was harder. I also didn’t think the star and circle game was very fun.

Me: Do you want to do Division Facts that Stick next year?

 8 Year old: I’ll try it!

Will I continue to use the Math Facts That Stick series?

Um, absolutely.

I am extremely impressed with this curriculum and I plan to start “Division Facts that Stick” with my daughter in 4th grade and Addition/Subtraction Facts that Stick with my middle child when she starts 2nd grade.

They all have different game boards and look like so much fun!

I have wondered what would have happened if I had just started out with these books with my oldest kid from the beginning.

But there is nothing I can do about that now – my middle kid will just benefit from my lessons learned!

If you are reading this review, I know you have seen some dark days as you tried to help your child learn their multiplication facts.

Trust me, this curriculum is worth your time.

Want to make sure you save this for later? Be sure to pin it to your favorite Pinterest Board and share with your friends and followers who need help with math facts too!

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