Bond Builder & Table Trainer

(KS1,2: age 4-11)

Based on an original concept by Ian Sugarman, formerly a Senior Lecturer in Primary Education, Manchester Metropolitan University, BondBuilder & TableTrainer comprises a set of carefully graded fun challenges to assist and encourage pupils to acquire their basic number bond and multiplication facts.

At each level pupils need to drag the graded cards to their correct answer disk. If they can sort them in a minute then they are ready for the next level. The record sheets provided enable teachers and parents to closely monitor their pupils' achievements from Foundation Stage through to Key Stage 2.

BondBuilder starts with sets of colour-coded dot patterns (see right). Initially a child will count each dot but gradually with practice they reach a stage where they can recognise how many dots are in a small group without counting them. This is known as subitising and is quite a breakthrough. From there we move on to using numerals instead of dots and work through the addition facts of numbers below 20. Table Trainer tackles the multiplication tables from 2 to 10 with some sets targeting individual tables and others presenting a mixture, culminating in several sets of table extension cards.

Each graded pack of virtual cards has been designed to be sorted in about one minute but only if a pupil knows those particular number facts rather than calculating each card. Once a particular set of cards has been selected from the drop down menu on the screen, two target times will appear in the top left hand corner.

This is intended to act as a motivator to persevere and improve the time taken and also provides recognition of an “interim” level of achievement that some teachers might want to regard as a satisfactory indicator of the right to proceed to the next level.
Many pupils however are perfectly capable of recording the faster time, since recall implies “no thinking time needed” and all that is taking time is the management of the mouse.

Finally, once children know their times tables, we supply three sets of truly challenging problems.
These sets extend the ability to recall multiplication facts into the ability to use them in the context of place value calculations.

So, you might know 7 x 8 = 56 but can you work out 70 x 8 or 0.7 x 80?

The key to learning these number facts is regular practice - just 5 minutes a day will make a difference.

That's why we offer free home use to pupils when a school buys a site licence.

Alternatively for parents we offer a Home Use Licence for just £25 for a download or £29 for a CD (VAT included).
To buy a copy just go to the Order Online page and scroll down to the Paypal buttons (or send a cheque).