This is one of the many songs my son has learned while watching Team Umizoomi. It is a TV program that focuses on solving mathematical problems and their main focus group is kindergarten. I am not a big supporter of letting my child watch stories freely, we manage what they watch by downloading only educational programs like Bubble Guppies. But this got me thinking how can multiplication tables be taught in a fun way.

When I taught grade 1 there was this one boy who was brilliant at addition and subtraction, and especially repetitive addition, but the moment when you change 2+2+2+2 to 4x2 he was totally lost. He eventually got it, but it took a lot of repetition, explaining and repetition again. This was my first year of teaching so just maybe if I have thought about having fun with multiplication tables back then he would have got it earlier.

Having fun with multiplication

1. Write speedtest. Give them eg 1 min for 30 multiplication sums. The winner receives a reward. It will be wise to divide your class in groups according to their academic abilities so that they compete against those with the same abilities. This especially helps the self-esteem of your weaker learners, because they then also get the opportunity to win, in their group.
2. Race against the spinner: The learner push the spinner that it can start spinning, they then see how many sums they can finish before the spinner stops.
   
3. Spinner multiplication: Play in teams of three. Number the "legs" of the spinner. Spin the spinner, when it stops each learner must answer the multiplication sum where there number stopped.
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4. Snakes and ladders multiplication: Design our own snakes and ladders multiplication page. Put mutliplication sums in. This version can be used for addition, subtraction, division, multiplication or all four in one.
5. I LOVE THIS ONE: Multiplication squares game. Each child receives the squares page of numbers and two dices. They then roll the two dices, the multiply the two number it lands on and then mark it on the page.
   
6. Play multiplication bingo
   
7. Jenga multiplication: Paste multiplication sums on the jenga blocks. For each block that is pulled out, that person must give the answer to the sum.
   

Some video resources:

When you know your multiplication tables by heart you make your life a whole lot easier. So learn, but at least have a lot of fun learning them.

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