Teaching Strategies for Multiplication

Here are few strategies to teach multiplication to your kids

Using Visual Aids

Teaching aids in the form of pictures are quite effective while addressing students on multiplication. To support the learning of this concept, let children handle objects such as counters, blocks or beads to teach them. For instance, to explain 3 x 2, the teacher should arrange three sets of 2 blocks in a group.

Interactive Games

Introduce some four fun-filled games that can be used to make learning enjoyable. In class, Math games such as ‘Multiplication Bingo’ or multiplication worksheets or computer based games can help students and reinforce their knowledge through play.

Repetition and Practice

In Mathematics, particularly in multiplication, it is always advised to practice each sum consistently. Prepare and design worksheets that contain multiplication exercises for students to complete as daily assignments. These are some of the problems that children should be encouraged to solve and as their problem solving skills develop the level of difficulty should be extended.

Storytelling and Real-Life Examples to Teach Multiplication

Using stories and real-life scenarios to teach multiplication helps make abstract concepts more concrete for young learners. Here are some examples that you can use to explain multiplication to first graders.

Story

There was once a little girl called Lily, who had a dream of preparing cookies for her friends. One day, she told herself that she was going to bake some cookies and invite some of her friends over. Lily made sure that all of her friends had a share of the cookies that they planned to eat.

Three of Lily’s friends were invited to the party. She hoped to share each friend 4 cookies. To be able to decide how many cookies she needed to bake, Lily managed to multiply the numbers.

Solution

Multiplying the number 3 by the number 4 equals 12 cookies.

That is why Lily baked 12 yummy cookies for a party. When the friends came to visit she gave each of them 4 cookies, and all of them enjoyed their treat.

Explanation:

While in this story the symbol 3 depicts the number of groups and the 4 cookies each friend received portrays the number of items in each group. Lily followed the same process as John and first ascertained that she required 3 friends × 4 cookies = 12 cookies in total.

Real-Life Example of Multiplication

Example: Tom also has an area of interest towards toy cars. There are many boxes and all of them are filled with the exact similar number of cars. Tom has five boxes, each containing 2 toy cars.

Solution: 5 boxes with 2 cars one each = 10 cars

Explanation: It follows that; The 5 boxes represent the number of groups while 2 toy cars in each box symbolically represent the number of items in each group. Number of boxes = 5 Toy cars per box = 2 ⇒ Total Toy cars = 5 × 2 = 10

Songs and Rhymes

Teaching the multiplication tables can be managed made easier by incorporating several songs and rhymes. Make shortest rhythms and songs for every multiplication tables through which children can easily and effectively learn tables. For instance, when teaching children the 2 times table, the tunes can be given in relation to the nursery melody that they find relatable.

Multiplication Chart

Introduce multiplication charts as visual references. These charts help children quickly find the product of two numbers and recognize patterns in multiplication.

Teaching multiplication to first graders is a significant step towards imparting good mathematical practices to them. The focus of this chapter is to help young learners understand the concept of multiplication in the simplest way that is fun as well as helping them develop good mathematical skills. Multiplication is a very important operation, it is not only used in higher level mathematics but also in common problem solved and any logical analysis. This article will offer teachers and parents guidelines, suggestion, and ideas in teaching the children how to learn multiplication in a fun way.