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Home | Past Issues | Printable Homeschool | Printable Pre-K | Printable Family | Teaching Your Child How to Multiply When teaching kids how multiplication works, I suggest introducing them to 3 basic concepts. First, teach multiplication as groups of objects. Next, teach them to multiply using arrays. Lastly, teach kids to multiply through repeated adding. Groups of Objects - To understand multiplication in its most basic sense, teach kids that multiplying is the process of counting equal groups of objects. For example, you might have seven bags. There are three books in each bag. How many books do you have in all? There are seven groups, (bags). There are three objects in each group. So, the multiplication process is asking you to find out how many objects are in seven groups of three. Once they can solve this problem by counting pictures or objects, teach them that the "times sign" means "groups of." 7 x 3 is exactly the same as saying, "7 groups of 3." Kids should be able to answer such a problem easily by drawing a picture. For a more hands-on approach allow kids to use counters, such a jellybeans or pennies, to figure out the answer to this problem. Below you'll find five "story problems" you can try together with your child. Give him or her some small objects to manipulate and place into groups. See if he or she can figure out the answers. 1. There are 4 flower vases. Each vase has 3 flowers. How many flowers in all? (Your child should have objects placed in 4 groups. There should be 3 objects in each group. He/she should tell you that there are 12 flowers in all.) 2. There are 4 small boxes. Each box has 8 pencils in it. How many pencils in all? (Your child should have objects placed in 4 groups. There should be 8 objects in each group. He/she should tell you that there are 32 pencils in all.) 3. There are 3 plates. Each plate has 3 cookies on it. How many cookies in all? (Your child should have objects placed in 3 groups. There should be 3 objects in each group. He/she should tell you that there are 9 cookies in all.) 4. There are 12 eggs in a carton. I have 2 cartons. How many eggs in all? (Your child should have objects placed in 2 groups. There should be 12 objects in each group. He/she should tell you that there are 24 eggs in all.) 5. There are 7 houses on a street. Each house has 3 windows. How many windows in all? (Your child should have objects placed in 7 groups. There should be 3 objects in each group. He/she should tell you that there are 21 windows in all.) For more multiplication word problems and printable multiplication worksheets, visit Super Teacher Worksheets. More multiplication (and other) worksheets are available on the Math Riddle Worksheets site. About the Author A.J. has written many Multiplication Worksheets. Free Forums by Bravenet.com |
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