Multiplication Tricks Can Make Multiplication Easy
Multiplication tricks can help you teach math to your struggling learners. Let's first learn some different ways to teach multiplication. Then I will show you some tricks for some of the multiplication facts.
Multiplication Tricks Involving Skip Counting
Most children learn to count by ones, twos, fives, and tens when they are in preschool. When your child gets older you can teach him the correlation between skip counting and multiplication.
If your child has a hundreds chart he can use it to figure out the answer to multiplication problems. If your child has to find out what 3 X 4 is he starts at three counts one. At six he would say two. He would continue counting until he reached twelve which is three times four.
There are several multiplication tricks that use you child's fingers. Here is one. Have your child count by twos. When he says two have him hold up one finger. When your child says four have him hold up two fingers. Continue having your child counting by twos until he gets to twenty and holds up ten fingers. Practice until he knows how to multiply by twos. Your child can learn all of the multiplication facts this way.
Arrays
Arrays are good for visual learners. An array is an arrangement of dots that show a multiplication problem. So 3 X 5 would be three rows of five dots. Arrays are good for visual learners.
You can also make arrays hands-on. Give your child small candies or dried beans to arrange into rows.
Arrays can help you teach your child the factors of a number. Make up a story about having 12 pieces of candy that you want to give to friends. Ask how you can arrange the candy in the boxes. You child should come up with six different ways. Have your child shows the ways on graft paper.
Games
There are several board games that you can play. The only problem with using board games in homeschool is finding enough children that have similar skills. Yatzee can be played with an assortment of learning skills. Your child who is learning to multiply can multiply the dice together when they get five fours. A younger sibling can add the dots on the dice.
Another fun game is multiplication bingo. For this game you might have to invite the neighbor children over. It is played similar to bingo except you need to match up multiplication equations and the answer.
Some children really like to practice their math with folder games. If you can draw you can make your own folder games. Find two objects that go together such as a spoon and bowl of soup. Write multiplication equations on the bowls. Glue the bowls on a file folder. Write the answers on spoons. You can also find folder games online.
My children like to practice their multiplication facts on the computer. Here is a list of some of my children's favorite math games.
Memorization
Well this is really not multiplication tricks but some children learn best by memorization. Some children actually enjoy doing drill. I have used both flash cards and drill sheets when I was teaching multiplication. Flash cards are for practice. Timed drill sheets can show which problems need more work.
Multiplication Tricks
There are several tricks to learn different multiplication facts. Sometimes the tricks can help your child remember his multiplication facts.
When you are multiplying by two add the number to itself. 2 X 3 would be 3 + 3 When you multiply by five the answer ends in 0 or 5. When you multiply by nine the numbers in the answer equals nine. Also the number in the tens place is one less than the multiplicand. So 9 X 3 = 27. Here is another finger trick. Use this trick for multiplying by 9. Hold your hands out in front of you. If you want to multiply 4 X 9 fold down the forth finger on the left hand. Count the fingers on the left hand before the bent finger the number should be three. Then count all of the finger after the bent finger and the fingers on the right hand. So you should come up with 36.
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