🙋🙋Raise your hand if you ever had to take a “mad minute” multiplication quiz! If you never had to experience this “quiz,” GOOD FOR YOU! But, let me give an example of how it went. The teacher passed out a piece of paper (upside down, of course). This piece of paper had a certain amount of multiplication facts on it. The teacher set a one-minute timer, and you tried to complete the page. It usually ended with students feeling upset, stupid, and stressed. Plus, they didn’t know their multiplication facts any better than before. Let’s say NO MORE to those quizzes. Here are some fun ways to practice multiplication facts.
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5 Ways To Practice Multiplication Facts
I understand why we don’t make students memorize multiplication facts. Don’t make it a “drill”- instead, add fun and game twists to learning and memorizing multiplication facts. Let’s face it, in the end. Students need to know their facts. Everything else in math (like multiplying fractions or doing long division) requires basic multiplication facts to be mastered. So what are some ways to practice multiplication facts your students will enjoy? Here are just a few activities for multiplication your kids will enjoy. Read on!
1. Multiplication Fact Practice Game
Games are always fun and are one of my (and my student’s) favorite multiplication activities. A board game is a simple way to get students practicing! Keep it simple with dice and multiplication facts. When teaching multiplication, you want to give your students opportunities to work independently and practice their math facts independently. Multiplication games are great, and free multiplication games are even better!
2. Multiplication Fact Practice Game
This is totally out-of-the-box way to practice math facts, but a fun multiplication game. Each day give a student a name tag, then write a multiplication fact on the name tag. Encourage them to call each other by the product. If you write 7 x 7 on the name tag, the student’s new name is “49” for the day!
3. Multiplication Drill With A Twist
Yes, I know I said I hated “mad minutes,” but I may have used the idea to come up with this next activity for multiplication.
The old-time multiplication timed drill with a twist – Students draw their own table and fill it in. You can have your students separate the big box into rows and columns or if you have students with OT or PT needs in your classroom or students who just struggle with drawing arrays quickly. I suggest you already have one large box with 12 columns and 12 rows.
Put a stopwatch on the board. Have students fill in all the times table. When students finish, they look at the board and write down the time it took them to complete the box. If they finish before we move on, they flip over the paper and do it again on the back. Designate at least 15 minutes the first time they do this activity – don’t tell students that, though. We don’t want them to beat or race others; we just want them to improve against their old times. It is just for fact practice, not a competition.
4. Fact Family Board Game
Fact families definitely help students with learning multiplication facts. Seeing which facts go together can often help students memorize them a little easier. Plus, if you can throw in some division fact practice, you’re killing two birds with one stone! This fact family board game plays like all my other math board games. It is a printable multiplication game in black and white because I know many schools don’t let teachers print in color. 🙄🙄
No need for cards, a bunch of silly instructions or rules. Simple and straight to the point. This multiplication fact family game is the perfect addition to your math centers!
5. Practicing Multiplication Facts Games
Multiplication games for indoor recess or morning work are always helpful to have around the classroom. Obviously, students can use my math board games during these times too. But, I like to switch it up because the last thing I need is my students playing the games during recess or in the morning and being bored by the time they need to play them during math centers. This could lead to a mess of trouble/distractions, and I don’t have time for that. I love these two products off of Amazon. My students actually argued over who could take it to lunch with them! I love this Electronic Math Game and this Multiplication Machine.
Easy Ways To Practice Multiplication Facts
Those were just 5 ways to practice multiplication facts. When you teach multiplication facts, or if your students need a little more practice, try implementing some fun ways to practice multiplication facts.
Don’t forget to check out some of my other math posts:
Advantages of Math Centers In The Classroom
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