Stories by Storie

Everyone has a story to tell. What is yours?

  • Stories by Storie
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
    • Book Activities
    • Book Lists
    • Classroom Management
    • Freebies
    • Math
    • Reading Tips
    • Writing
  • Free
  • Shop
    • Teachers Pay Teachers
    • Amazon
    • Bookshop
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

Fun Ways to Practice Multiplication

January 3, 2022

Multiplication facts are an important building block for so many math skills, but many students struggle to learn their facts. How can we help? We can teach them vocabulary and strategies, but we also need to make time for hands-on learning and games. Here are some fun ways to practice multiplication.

Multiplication facts are an important building block for so many math skills, but many students struggle to learn their facts. How can we help? We can teach them vocabulary and strategies, but we also need to make time for hands-on learning and games. Here are some fun ways to practice multiplication.

Fun Ways to Practice Multiplication

Build Arrays with Manipulatives

Once students understand the relationship between repeated addition and multiplication, you’ll want to give some hands-on practice using manipulatives. This is a concrete visual that really helps students. Before you pass out the manipulatives, remind students that they are tools, not toys.

Some of my favorite manipulatives for multiplication arrays include cubes, counters, and mini erasers. To help students keep their columns and rows organized, students might use a pencil to straighten or line them up. You might also consider using Bingo daubers for a touch of color or allow students to have fun with food (Goldfish crackers, fruit snacks, pretzels, etc.).

Cubes, counters, and mini erasers are great math manipulatives for multiplication. Students use the tools to build arrays. Then they can share the repeated addition or multiplication sentence to match.

You can also use printable mats to help students keep things more organized. Students use a repeated addition sentence to build an array and then record a matching multiplication sentence.

Help students see the relationship between multiplication and repeated addition by building arrays. These mats help keep math manipulatives organized to support learning.

Find even more arrays activities and practice pages here.

Multiplication Dice Games

In my experience, adding dice to an activity boosts engagement. That’s why I love using math dice games with students. Whether your students need practice with basic multiplication facts, repeated addition, or building arrays, this set of games will help. To save on paper, place the pages inside dry erase sleeves and students can reuse the activities with different results.

Adding dice to an activity helps boost engagement. These multiplication dice games help students with basic facts, repeated addition, arrays, and more. There are printable and digital options.

Are you a paperless classroom? Use the digital option for Google Slides that animates the dice directly on the slides as students play.

You can find these Multiplication Dice Games here.

Multiplication War

For this 2-player game, you will need a deck of cards and two players. Students shuffle and deal the cards out evenly. At the same time, players turn over two cards each and determine their product and compare to their opponent. The player with the highest product takes all four cards. If there is a tie, students can either repeat the steps in a winner-takes-all format, or each player may keep his own two cards.

Variation: Students shuffle and deal the cards out evenly. Each player keeps their stack of cards facedown. At the same time, each player reveals the top card from their own stack. The first to correctly multiply and name the product gets to keep both cards.

Math Mazes

Another fun way to practice multiplication facts is with mazes. These provide a fun challenge that will keep students engaged from start to finish! Choose between printable and digital options.

Multiplication mazes make fact practice more fun. These mazes provide a fun challenge that will keep students engaged from start to finish.
Looking for some fun ways to practice multiplication facts? These digital mazes work in Google Slides.

You can find these Multiplication Mazes here.

Circles and Stars

This is a very low-prep, high interest activity. This activity can be done individually or with a partner.

To play, students need a paper and pencil (or whiteboard and marker) and 1-2 dice. Students roll the dice and draw that many circles on their paper or whiteboard. Students roll the dice again and draw that many stars inside each circle. Then students record a multiplication sentence or repeated addition sentence to match.

When played with a partner, students complete the steps individually, but the player with the highest product wins the round. The first to win 3 rounds wins the game.

If students draw their circles too small, they can use dots instead of stars inside the circles.

Multiplication Bingo

This is a game that can be played with the whole class or with a small group who needs more support. Here’s a set that can be played with up to 36 students.

we are a participant in the amazon services llc associates program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Scavenger Hunt

Multiplication is all around us in the real world. Take your students on a scavenger hunt through the school (or in their own homes) to find examples. Have students take photos of these arrays and combine them into a class book where students label each photo with the multiplication fact it represents.

If you’re not sure where to begin, here are some examples:

  • ice cube tray
  • egg carton
  • donut box
  • soda 6-pack
  • spider legs
  • ten frame
  • side of a Rubik’s cube
  • muffin tin
  • Lego bricks
Multiplication is all around us. Take your students on an array scavenger hunt and then compile their findings into a class book.

Add Music

There are many songs and videos to help students practice their multiplication facts. This Multiplication Mash Up video came highly recommended from one of my teacher friends.

Read Books

You know how much I love to share books! Here are some of my favorite multiplication books for kids.

Here are my favorite books about multiplication for kids.


Don’t forget that it’s also okay to have students work with flash cards from time to time. What are some of your favorite ways to practice multiplication?

You might also enjoy:

  • Math Dice Games
  • Dominoes Activities
  • Fun Ways to Practice Doubles
  • Hundreds Chart Activities
  • Making 10 Games & Activities
  • Counting Coins Games & Activities
  • Telling Time Games and Activities

Enjoy!

Are your students struggling with their multiplication facts? It's time to give them some hands-on practice. Here are several games and activities to help your students practice multiplication.
signature

Related posts:

Making ten is a key building block that helps students mentally add bigger numbers as they get older. So how can we make sure kids know all of their tens partners or ways to make 10? We practice! Here are some of my favorite games and activities for making ten.Making Ten Games and Activities Fact Family Games and Activities Math Dice Games 5 Reasons to Play Math Games Fun Ways to Practice Doubles
«
»

Filed Under: math, teacher tips Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Categories

Latest on Instagram

We just added this new book to our library and I t We just added this new book to our library and I think you’re going to love it, too!

Meet Mazie McGear, a girl who loves to engineer! Whenever she finds a problem, she turns on her imagination and then starts drawing and building. 

Hungry dog?
Mazie creates The Food-o-Matic! 

Heavy boxes need moving?
Here comes the Roly-Ramp!

Sleepy Sibling?
Try The Waker-Upper Rocket Machine!
(P.S. Mazie’s brother is NOT a fan 🤣)

And when the dog gets stuck on the roof, the whole family joins in on the invention action!

This book would be a great addition to your STEM/STEAM book collection. It is sure to inspire future engineers and problem solvers to find out-of-the box solutions to their everyday lives. The dynamic illustrations also include a fun, fold-out spread along with a quick guide to Mazie’s six simple machines. Swipe to take a peek inside!

Mazie’s Amazing Machines
✏️ @sherylhaft 
🎨 @jeremyholmesstudio 
📚 @penguinkids 

.
.
.
.
.
.
#picturebooksofinstagram #kidlit #picturebooklove #childrensbookstagram #classroombookaday #picturebookaday  #teachersofinstagram #teachersfollowteachers #kidsbookstagram #picturebooksaremyjam #kidlitpicks #iteachtoo #maziesamazingmachines #stembooksforkids
“Even the smallest can help make the biggest cha “Even the smallest can help make the biggest change.”

In this story, the smallest turtles have always climbed on top of the biggest turtles to reach the freshest fruit. The big turtles would eat the fallen berries which were often sour and rotten. It’s just the way it’s always been. But Littlest Turtle doesn’t think that’s fair, so he makes a plan to change the way things are done. But can he get the rest of the turtles to agree?

This new picture book shares an important message about using your voice to speak up for what is fair and right. Swipe to take a peek inside!

Have you read this one yet?
Where were the picture book biographies when I was Where were the picture book biographies when I was growing up? Sharing the stories of others through picture books offers kids a glimpse into the accomplishments and lives of others in an engaging and meaningful way. It allows kids to see the potential of big dreams, hard work, and overcoming obstacles, while also helping them broaden their knowledge of the world around them. And when kids connect with the person whose story is being told, they are bound to find even more books about them to learn more. 

Here are three new picture book biographies to check out. Thank you to the publishers for these #gifted copies!  Swipe to take a peek inside each book.

💚 Queen of Leaves: The Story of Botanist Ynes Mexia
📚 @theinnovationpress 

🧡 A Curious Mind and a Very Big Heart: The Story of Designer and Innovator Sara Little Turnbull 
📚 @simonkids 

💜 Friend of Numbers: The Life of Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan
📚 @eerdmansyoungreaders 

Have you read about these fascinating people yet? 
What are some of your favorite picture book biographies?

.
.
.
.
.
.
#picturebooksofinstagram #kidlit #picturebooklove #childrensbookstagram #classroombookaday #picturebookaday  #teachersofinstagram #teachersfollowteachers #kidsbookstagram #picturebooksaremyjam #kidlitpicks #iteachtoo #SimonKidsCrew #picturebookbiographies #theinnovationpress #eerdmansyoungreaders
Just because my kids are back in school doesn’t Just because my kids are back in school doesn’t mean our trips to the library have stopped. Here’s what came home on our latest visit. Let me know which titles catch your eye!
“The perfect reader (let’s say that’s you) d “The perfect reader (let’s say that’s you) drinks in the words and together you make a special kind of magic.”

When kids connect with books - whether it’s the characters, the genre, the plot twists, or something else entirely - it feels like a whole new magical world has opened. And all of that magic is on display in this beautifully written and illustrated book that follows one book’s journey through the hands of many different readers.

Have you read this one yet?

The Story of a Book
✏️ Joy McCullough @jmcwrites 
🎨 Devon Holzwarth @devonholzwarth 
📚 Atheneum Books @simonandschuster 

.
.
.
.
.
.
#picturebooksofinstagram #kidlit #picturebooklove #childrensbookstagram #classroombookaday #picturebookaday  #teachersofinstagram #teachersfollowteachers #kidsbookstagram #picturebooksaremyjam #kidlitpicks #iteachtoo
Back to School! I know that many of you have been Back to School!

I know that many of you have been back for weeks, but it’s finally time for my kids to start school. 

✔️ backpacks 
✔️ supplies
✔️ first day outfits
✔️ alarms set

And now it’s time to read all of my favorite first day books. How many of these have you read? 

#backtoschool 
#readalouds
Guess what?!? I just found another fun fractured f Guess what?!?
I just found another fun fractured fairy tale I think you’ll love. Plus, the backmatter includes some fascinating facts about guinea pigs.

In this imaginative retelling, three guinea pigs set off on their own, each building a new house out of different materials. When a fox comes prowling, the first two lose their homes. Fortunately, the third comes up with a brilliant plan to outsmart that hungry fox. Let’s just say I don’t think the fox will POP into their homes ever again!

If you love fractured fairytales as much as I do, be sure to check this one out! 

A big thank you to the publisher for sharing this book with my family!

✏️ @ericaperl 
🎨 @ayoungart 
📚 @MacKidsBooks

.
.
.
.
.
.
#picturebooksofinstagram #kidlit #picturebooklove #childrensbookstagram #classroombookaday #picturebookaday  #teachersofinstagram #teachersfollowteachers #kidsbookstagram #picturebooksaremyjam #kidlitpicks #iteachtoo #macmillankids #mackidsbooks #thethreelittleguineapigs #fracturedfairytales

Copyright © 2023 · Website Design By Jumping Jax Designs