Students working on automatic fact recall should begin with a strong conceptual understanding of addition and subtraction. Once they have slow arithmetic strategies in place, a teacher can apply time pressure to speed kids up. Print worksheets with 30 to 50 addition or subtraction facts randomly organized and have kids complete as many problems as they can in one, two or three minutes. Use stickers or other markers to keep track of how many fact sheets students successfully complete in the assigned time. You may wish to provide an award or incentive for students who finish all the fact sheets and demonstrate their memorization.
Students who have difficulty memorizing facts on their own may benefit from observing patterns among facts. Use patterns to group addition and subtraction facts into families. The +0, +1 and +10 families, for instance, are easy for most children to compute quickly. Identify fact pairs such as 2+5 and 5+2 to reduce the amount of information children must memorize.
For a classroom activity, give children manipulatives and ask them to show different ways to make a number. For instance, the addition fact family for the number three includes 3+0, 2+1, 1+2 and 0+3. Although physical items should not be used constantly, lest they become a crutch, their brief use can help some students form a mental picture.
Games are a social, student-driven opportunity to practice addition and subtraction facts. At a designated time, perhaps after completing an assignment, give children freedom to choose a math game to play. Paired students can drill each other on fact flashcards for speed and accuracy. At another center, children can roll dice and add the numbers which come up. Using a modified number deck, teach a version of the card game War where the winning player must add the two cards and say the answer. Encourage inventive students to design and play their own math fact games using the resources of the classroom.
Students will be more motivated to memorize math facts if they use them regularly in practical activities. Create a math-literate environment by incorporating math into all aspects of classroom life. Ask simple questions such as: "We have seven seeds left, but only four pots are empty. How many extra seeds will we have?"
Children may particularly enjoy using play money as a vector for learning addition and subtraction. Create a classroom economy where students receive "money" as a reward for achievement and effort. In the class store, allow children to make purchases of small toys and treats with their money. Math facts will be useful to students as they calculate purchases and make change.