The Importance of Arithmetic Being Automatic

Basic arithmetic, like addition, multiplication and factoring may seem like trivial skills, but in fact they form the basis of a successful mathematical education. If a student can automatically recognise that for instance 9 x 7 = 63, they are at a significant advantage for learning math down the line. You might think that being able to calculate quickly is just a trick to save time, but really it has a huge impact on a students ability to learn new topics and solve problems. In my experience, even among high school students, speed at arithmetic is one of the best predictors of success in mathematics.

This is because when arithmetic isn't automatic, students need to apply a considerable amount of mental effort on calculations, leaving them with less energy to focus on understanding and solving mathematical problems. This in turn leads to them becoming tired and frustrated by mathematics. As the National Research Council explains in Adding It up "The more automatically a procedure can be executed the less mental effort is required".

This difficulty is only amplified by the fact that basic arithmetic is needed everywhere in mathematics. Just as a few examples, factorising quadratics and simplifying surds both require being able to quickly find the factors of numbers and recognising squares. Even geometry needs basic arithmetic when trying to find lengths and midpoints.

What can parents do?

Luckily this is a pretty easy problem to solve, all that is needed is a little practice each day. Quizzing your kid on their times tables when you are in the car, or at breakfast each day is more than enough to guarantee that their arithmetic becomes automatic. You can turn this into a game where you race your kid or where they pose problems back to you. The best time to develop these skills are when your kids are learning arithmetic for the first time. It will go a long way towards their future academic success.