Off-topic: How to help kids improve multiplication speed?

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

Sorry for the off-topic request, but you guys have all these great tips!

We are struggling (long term) w/my son - 10yrs old - and his math.  We have

really neglected a couple of areas in Math because any time we tried to work on

math in the past, he flew into tantrums that could last all night.  Sigh.  I've

never seen someone put up a bigger fight. Excuses excuses.  Anyway, that is

over, and we are trying to get him up to speed.

His multiplication speed is really poor, and it makes it harder for him to grasp

other areas. By the time he has an answer, he has lost his place.  Just teaching

him to have his pencil ready to write while he is reading a problem helped some

- that simple thing was a big deal that it took me a lot of time to catch on to.

In the past we've worked from the multiplication tables, helped him practice

them, had him call them out, etc, but any improvement in speed only seems to

last the evening, and by the next day all the work seems lost.

Do you have some suggestions of some sites that could help address that

problem?  I wonder if there are games that would help strenghten these core

abilities?

Thank you for your help,