“How do I get my kid interested to learn multiplication tables? Are there fun and interesting ways to learn tables?” – these are the questions often asked by parents of primary school children. Indeed, memorizing Multiplication Tables at young age helps children do math problems quickly and also gives them confidence while solving problems. Here are few important aspects and ideas that parents can utilize to make their kids learning of Multiplication Tables, fun and effective.
Learning Times Tables can have 4 stages – Understand, Learn & practice, Recollect, Mastery.
Understand
It is important for kids to understand what does multiplication mean before jumping to learn the tables. A simple activity discussed in the video below can be a good starter to discuss the need for multiplication and elicit interest in learning tables. Take some time to have this discussion with your kids before asking them to practice tables.
Knowing WHY children need to learn something and HOW it will help them, will create huge interest and self drive to learn and practice on their own!
Learn & Practice
Now that kids understand the importance of learning tables, they can learn & practice through variety of ways to learn and memorize the tables.
1. Bus Game: Before delving into tables, it would be interesting to play the “Bus” game to get familiarized with counting by 2s, 5s and 10s.
How to play? – Children form a circle and choose counting by 2s and number which they should say BUS. For example, while counting by 2s they should say BUS for all numbers ending with zero, like 2 times 5 is BUS. Each child would take turns and say “2 times 1 is 1”, “2 times 2 is 4″and so on. It is important that kids tell “2 times 3 is 6” instead of just “6” which will help memorize the tables unknowingly. Once they get familiarized with counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s they can be encouraged to learn tables for numbers from 3 to 12.
2. Introducing Tips and Tricks: Kids likes tricks and that can be leveraged to learn tables as well. Check out this interesting trick to learn multiplication tables of 9.
“One size does not fit all” goes well also for learning, where each kid learns differently based on their interest. Below learning techniques for multiplication tables can be utilized based on the kid’s interest.
3. Kids who like listening – Kids who enjoy listening and reciting back can be encouraged to listen multiplication tables songs set to a tune and recite them back.
4. Kids who like visuals – Kids who are keen observers and enjoy drawing can be given activities of making tables chart. These posters can then be glued to their learning space to gain their attention. Ask them what is special about the background colours (grey, white and violet) given behind each number. It will be interesting for the kids to notice that numbers above and below the white background are JUST SAME.
Flower tables – Parents can encourage kids to do flower table as shown and make it colourful of their choice. They can ask numbers for random petals or rows from the tables chart like “what number is hiding in 4th flower 7th petal?” – It is 28.
5. Kids who like hands on learning – Some kids are interested in making something on their own and excited to learn through kinesthetic activities like this Table Spinner game. This simple game gives the kids motivation to self-learn and practice on their own.
Recollect
The ultimate aim of learning multiplication tables is to apply it and find out product of any two numbers. Children who have practiced reciting tables from 1 to 12 generally, find it difficult to tell the product of any 2 random numbers at that particular moment and have to start reciting from the start of that multiplication table like for “What is 8 x 7 ?” They had to tell from “1×7=7; 2×7=14 …”. Children can gain this skill of recollecting product of any two numbers through below games and activities.
1. Table Spinner
2. Got it – This is an interesting game of chits. Children write each of the product number from multiplication tables of 2 to 12 in a small paper and put into a gunny bag. Each child takes turn and pick a paper from the bag, other children has to tell which numbers can be multiplied to get the number written on the paper.
For example, if 48 is taken from bag, children can say 8×6, 12 x 4 etc
3. Black and White – This is again an interesting game with a slight twist to “Got it” game. Also in this game, we can get all product numbers written in a small paper and put into a gunny paper. The child picking the paper should tell a number between 2 to 12 before picking. Child on next turn has to tell “Black” if the number written on paper does not come in multiplication table of the number told by that child. Child has to tell “White” if the number written on paper comes in multiplication table of the number told by the child.
For example, Child says “number 4” and picked number “27” from bag, “BLACK” is the correct answer, and if the picked number is “28”, “WHITE” is the correct answer.
4. Card game – This is a simple card game in which one child take a pair of cards from card stack and the child who tells the product of the two numbers correctly can get those pair of cards. This gets repeated for all the cards in the stack and the child who has got more cards wins the game. Cards with J,Q,K,A can be given numbers 11, 12, 13 and 14.
Mastery
Mastery in Tables is not about just being quick to tell correct product. More than that, it is to observe different tables and find patterns. This video shares an interesting activity “Sometimes true, Always true, Never true” which will help children make interesting observations & patterns in tables and make statements based on those patterns.
Watch this video to know more about the activity and how it can help your child become curious thinkers and master the tables through observations!! Please encourage your child to observe tables of any 2 numbers and make interesting statements and share them in the comments!