Hi, Jen.

You know, my son has dyslexia, ADHD and memory struggles. So, when we got to mental math, it was a real problem for us. What I ended up doing (to prevent the tears from both of us!) was to write the equation on the board (or on a piece of paper) so he wasn't spending 'mental energy' on remembering the equation, but on solving the equation. This took some of the pressure off. Then if he still struggled, I would give him 'hints'. For example, on worksheet 59-a, 130-19. I would write the equation on the board. Then I would ask, "What strategy do you think might help you solve this equation?" If he didn't know, I would give him further hints, like, "What is an easy number to subtract with, '19' or another number with maybe a '0' or '5' in the 'ones' place?" If he still couldn't give me the answer then I would say, 'Don't you think that '20' is easier to subtract with than '19'? Let's try. What is 130 - 20?' When he would give me the answer 110 I would then proceed by saying, "Great! But we aren't actually subtracting '20' we are subtracting 19...so what is the answer?" By walking my son through the process it helped him think through how to figure them out on his own - when he was ready!

Strategies, well, all of us have our 'favorite' strategies - ones that stick. Other strategies that are taught may not be 'natural' for us. As I taught strategies to my kids, I was amazed how some of my kids picked up on some strategies and my other kids picked up on other strategies. Same thing for you and your son. You will have strategies that will resonate with you and other strategies that will seem easier for your son. It is important to teach them all so he can use the ones that work for him.

As far as a list of strategies, I use the Table of Contents to help my kids remember them. The strategies are listed 'generally' in the titles of the lessons.

If you have any further questions, feel free to post again on this forum or you can email us at info@rightstartmath.com.

Have a fabulous day!
Rachel