Building Confidence for Timed Math Drills

Why do teachers expect young children to be able to do math problems so quickly? My daughter, who is only in second grade, has "Minute Math" every day, in which she has to solve 50 addition problems in one minute. My daughter is getting very frustrated because she isn't quite fast enough. How can I speed her up? - Frustrated
Answer: As difficult as "Minute Math" seems, speed drills are a good way to ensure that children actually have learned the basic facts. In subsequent grades and later on in life, an almost instant recall of basic facts is essential. Do you know that children are not considered to have mastered a fact unless they can give an answer in less than three seconds?
The pressure of speed tests can be hard on young children. Some slow down because they go back to counting or using other strategies to find the answers. The secret to helping children speed up lies in working with them on a small group of facts until they are completely mastered. For example, you might start with one-more-than facts (2+1), which your daughter probably knows, and then go on to two-more-than facts (2+2) before introducing doubles (3+3) and (4+4), and near-doubles (3+4, 3+5).
Using flashcards is one of the best approaches for helping children memorize basic facts. Once your daughter is comfortable with a group of facts, introduce flashcard drills for these facts. Then gradually increase the speed of the drills as she becomes more proficient. After she has mastered several groups of facts, drill with more varied groups of facts. Always limit the number of flashcards used in a drill session.
Your child can also drill on the basic facts by using a computer software program or a calculator that has a feature allowing her to add by the same number. Plus, you can create a sheet of drill facts. Have her tackle just one row, and check those answers before moving on to the next row.
Be patient and help your child learn small groups of facts at a time. This will give her confidence in facing the daily "Minute Math" drills.