Help Kids Learn Multiplication with These Strategy Mats

There are a lot of different ways to think about how groups of numbers work together when you’re learning multiplication. You can think of them as groups, as numbers being added together, as an array and more.

Childhood 101 has a great printable multiplication strategies mat that helps kids visualize how multiplication works in different ways, including:

equal groups
array
repeated addition
skip counting

It also has a place for them to write the full multiplication sentence.

Print out the mat and laminate it or stick it in a plastic sleeve so you can write different multiplication problems on it for your kids to work through, or grab her multiplication cards printable along with her multiplication bingo game. This is a great way to reinforce math facts and make it a little more fun for kids.

Do you have any tips for teaching multiplication? I think we’re going to work on it this summer!

[Photo: Childhood 101.] Looking for more resources? Check out these board games for learning Math and Multiplication?

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Playdough Learning Activities

I’m in deep denial about the fact that new year is almost upon us again! It’s been the fastest and the longest year at the same time, and I can look back and see some good things as well as some things I wish had gone differently.

Doing a year in review with your kids — whether in the classroom or at home — is a good way to capture some of their memories and the things they really liked about the year gone by.

There are a lot of different printable year in review worksheets you can use if you want to make this super easy. Here are links to a few (often part of larger posts about NYE celebrations with kids that are worth a read, too):

Teach Beside Me has lots of fun printables fro the end of the year, including a year in review that covers favorite memory, funniest memory and the best book they read, among other topics.
NurtureStore‘s version has space for a self-portrait and prompts like favorite toy, best day out this year and future dream job.
Remember favorites, their “best idea” of the year and have room for setting goals for next year with this one from The Keele Deal.
The year in review from Yes We Made This has room for drawing or writing and includes things like something they learned, a memory they made and a place they visited.

Of course you could pretty easily make your own year in review for the whole family to do that asks questions based on what you most want to remember. (Favorite video game? Best friend? Favorite family memory?)

And if after the year in review you’re ready to look ahead a bit, Mrs. Merry has new year’s resolution printables to inspired kids to look ahead and set goals for things they want to try. You can totally fill this one out as a grownup, too.

[Photo: Mrs. Merry]

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