How multiplication works
Ages 7 to 91Equal groups
3 × 4 means 3 groups of 4. Add the groups together.
3 × 4 = 4 + 4 + 4 = 12
2Arrays
Put things in rows and columns. Rows times columns gives the total.
3 rows of 5 = 15
3Skip counting
Jump along the number line in equal steps. Count the jumps.
4 × 3: 3, 6, 9, 12
4Turn it around
Turn the array on its side: same dots, so 3 × 7 and 7 × 3 have the same answer.
3 × 7 = 7 × 3 = 21
5Double it
Know × 2? Double it for × 4, and double again for × 8.
4 × 6 = 12 + 12 = 24
6Break it apart
Split a hard fact into two easy ones and add them.
7 × 6 = 5 × 6 + 2 × 6 = 42
💡 Memory tip: Times 10? Write a 0 at the end: 10 × 7 = 70. Times 5 is half of that: 5 × 7 = 35.
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Practise it
Print the sheet for the fridge or the homework folder, and look at one idea a day. Kids learn a strategy best when they say it out loud while they use it: "8 and 2 make 10, and 3 more is 13."
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Questions parents and teachers ask
How do you explain multiplication to a child?
Start with equal groups of real things: 3 plates with 4 grapes each. Say "3 groups of 4" before you say "3 times 4". Then lay the grapes out in rows to make an array, and show that skip counting 4, 8, 12 gives the same answer.
At what age do kids learn multiplication?
Most kids meet equal groups and skip counting at 7 (2nd grade) and learn the times tables at 8 and 9 (3rd and 4th grade). The 2, 5 and 10 tables usually come first.
Planning more than homework?
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