Tips and Tricks For Practicing Multiplication Facts at Home

Tips and Tricks for Practicing
Multiplication Facts at Home

Currently in Flex Math Groups, students are working on the Multiplication
and Division unit. Ideally, students should be practicing multiplication facts up to
12 x 12 at home on a regular basis. The ability to apply mental math strategies to
recall these facts is key to their success! Below is a list of mental math strategies
we will be using in class to learn multiplication facts:
Annexing zeros: When multiplying by numbers that end in 0, simply multiply by

the first digit, then put the zero back.
 Ex: 4 x 10  Think 4 x 1 = 4, then insert the 0 for 40!
 Ex: 3 x 200  Think 3 x 2 = 6, then insert the 00 for 600!
 Ex: 60 x 500  Think 60 x 5 = 300, insert the 00 for 30 000
Doubling: When multiplying by 2, the product can be found by doubling the other
factor. For multiplications by 4 double twice or double three times when
multiplying by 8.
 Ex: 2 x 8  Think 8 + 8 = 16
 Ex: 4 x 8  Think 2 x 8 = 16 then double 16 to get 32
 Ex: 8 x 8  Think 4 x 8 = 32 then double 32 to get 64
Skip Counting: For multiplications by 5, count by fives until you get the number
of groups needed!
 Ex: 5 x 6 = Count: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30!
Compensation: For any multiplication fact that is unknown, think of another
multiplication fact that is close that you know. Then, add or remove groups as
needed to find the product.
 Ex: 6 x 8  Think 5 x 8 = 40 then add one more group of 8 to get 48
 Ex: 7 x 9  Think 7 x 10 = 70 then remove one group of 7 to get 63
 Ex: 12 x 8  Think 10 x 8 = 80 then add two groups of 8 to get 96
Having trouble with these strategies? Try using manipulatives!

For some students, mental math strategies can be difficult to grasp because they do not have
a strong understanding of operations. Using hands on materials to provide concrete demonstrations
of these strategies can help scaffold these students. You can use simple materials such as bingo
chips or tasty treats like Cheerios, Smarties or Skittles!
Activities to Practice Multiplication Facts
Practicing multiplication facts doesn’t have to be a chore! There are lots of
fun and practical ways to incorporate multiplication facts into your daily lives.
Here are a few examples of how you can have fun practicing multiplication at
home:
Multiplication Card Games: For these fun and competitive games, all you need is
a deck of cards and some eager competitors!
 WAR: Split the deck of cards between two people. Both players simultaneously
flip a card from their pile. The first player to multiply the cards and say the
product wins the round!
 Salute: This game is played with three players. One player acts as ‘referee’ and
holds the deck of cards. The referee hands the other two players a card, and they
place it on their forehead without looking. The referee multiplies the cards and
gives the product. The other players must then try to use their knowledge of
multiplication facts to guess their card number. The first player to correctly guess
their card wins the round and now acts as referee.
o Example: The referee says the product is 56. Player 1 sees that Player 2
has an 8 card on their forehead. Therefore, they think: 8 x ___ = 56? Player
1 determines their card must be a 7!
Multiplication Math Sites and Apps: For children who love playing on the
computer or iPad, there are many fun and educational sites available. Here are a
few examples:
 http://www.coolmath-games.com/
 http://www.multiplication.com
 http://www.math-play.com/multiplication-games.html
Use Real-World Opportunities: For students to value their learning, it is

important for them to see and understand how the skills they are building can be
used in daily. Here are a few examples of using multiplication facts in everyday
life:
 We’re buying 6 jars of spaghetti sauce. Each jar costs approximately $4. How
much approximately will the 6 jars cost?
 There are 12 eggs in a carton and we have 4 people in our family. How many
cartons of eggs do we need to buy if each person wanted to eat 2 eggs for
breakfast everyday this week?
 There are 8 weeks until we leave for a trip! How can we calculate the number of
days using multiplication?

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Tips and Tricks for Practicing

Multiplication Facts at Home

Annexing zeros: When multiplying by numbers that end in 0, simply multiply by

Having trouble with these strategies? Try using manipulatives!

Use Real-World Opportunities: For students to value their learning, it is

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