{"id":853569,"date":"2026-04-05T19:07:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T23:07:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/?p=853569"},"modified":"2026-04-05T23:22:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T03:22:49","slug":"do-timed-math-drills-help-teach-math-fluency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/do-timed-math-drills-help-teach-math-fluency\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Timed Math Drills Help Teach Math Fluency?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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  1. \ud83d\udfe9Timed math drills worked for me<\/a>
  2. \ud83d\udfe8Timed math drills seemed to work for my students<\/a>
  3. \ud83d\udfe5Timed math drills did not work for my son<\/a>
  4. \ud83d\udea8The problem with timed math drills<\/a>
  5. \ud83d\udcc9What research says about timed math drills<\/a>
  6. \ud83d\udd04How timed math drills fit with math fluency<\/a>
  7. \u26a0\ufe0fHow timed math drills should be used today<\/a>
  8. \ud83c\udf89A great alternative to timed math drills<\/a><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\n\n
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    \ud83d\udfe9Timed math drills worked for me<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    When I was in school, I loved timed math drills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As a student, I was good at them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I liked the challenge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I liked the speed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I liked finishing first and getting everything right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I liked looking at the big bulletin board and seeing my name listed in first place in the Big Timed Math Drill Race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And my desire to stay in first place fueled my study habits and kept me going. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \ud83d\udfe8Timed math drills seemed to work for my students<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    So when I became a classroom teacher, I did what many of us do- I taught the way I had learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I used timed math drills regularly in my classroom in an effort to help them memorize math facts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I’d give my little First Graders a timed test a couple of times each week. I tried to make it fun with a silly frog theme where the kids progressed across their paper pond coloring lily pads labeled “+5” or “doubles” as they mastered a new set of facts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A few of my students thrived with this approach and mastered all their facts in record time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And it seemed to work well enough for the bulk of my students. They made progress and eventually had all of their lily pads colored in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But, others floundered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But, that was okay. Afterall, not everybody is good at math. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \ud83d\udfe5Timed math drills did not work for my son<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    So, when I became a homeschool mom, I did the same thing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I set my little guy up with his own fact sheets, tracker pond and colored pencils. And then multiple times each week, I told him to “hop to it!” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s what I knew. It\u2019s what had worked for me. And it seemed to have worked for my students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But my son hated them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Not just disliked\u2014hated<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    He cried. He begged me not to do them. Every time I pulled out a timed drill, it created stress, frustration, and resistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    At first, I thought:<\/p>\n\n\n\n