Multiplication facts have not come easy for my nine-year old daughter.  There are some fact families like the threes and fives she knows off the top of her while there are others like the eights and nines that she has to take time to come up with the product.  There’s no doubt that she will eventually know the latter just as well as she knows the former, but until then I have vowed to be patient with her.  Math Bands has made this vow a little bit easier to uphold.

Math Bands are bracelets made from a rubber-like or silicone material (honestly, I am not certain the material so I am just going from the feel of it) that are labeled with multiples of each of the fact families from one to 12.  Each fact family has a different color bracelet which makes identifying each bracelet easier. The numbers are printed in black which allows them to be seen clearly against the bright colors.

Math Bands can be used in a variety of ways. The set of 12 bands is accompanied with a booklet that shares some ways the bands can be used. My daughter uses her Math Bands to practice her facts in the car. Since the bracelets are simple to transport, and there’s not the hassle of multiple components I have found that she is more apt to taking them along with us during outings. She also uses them to quiz us.  We are a family who enjoys periodically having math matches; since she doesn’t have to totally rely on her knowledge alone she feels confident asking quizzing us on multiplication tables that she wouldn’t normally.  Although she primarily uses the Math Bands for multiplication, they can also be used for division fact family practice in the same manner. 

Math Bands are nice resource to add to your math arsenal if you have students who struggle with their multiplication facts.  They are easy to store and carry along.  They help build long term memory of the math facts through skip counting.  My daughter is thankful to be able to use her Math Bands to help her build confidence in multiplication.

-Product review by Latonya Moore, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, September, 2016