Make Multiplication Fun with Crafts and Games

I love sharing ways to make learning more fun, and when we can make learning things that kids have to learn a little more interesting, that’s always a good thing.

Multiplication is a vital math basic, but just memorizing multiplication tables isn’t that much fun, and some kids are just bad at it (confession: I never learned mine because my teachers emphasized memorization and I just couldn’t do it).

Math games and projects like these might make it easier for some kids to learn, and more fun for everyone.

Skip counting is a fundamental skill that comes before learning multiplication, and you can practice counting by twos while making art with this activity from Nurture Store. This is a classic butterfly symmetry painting project with a counting twist, but I think you could make it even more of a counting project by representing the numbers on the butterflies themselves. Use two colors on the butterfly that will be 2, for example, or four different shapes for 4 or six spots for 6, etc.

This Reading Mama has a collection of six multiplication table puzzles on two different levels (level two has more pieces). Kids can cut out the puzzle pieces and put them together to make a multiplication table.

Rock Your Homeschool has a great set of printables using multiplication to make color by number mandalas. Each color is indicated by a multiplication problem (like 2×2 is blue) while the sections to color are numbered with the answers (or vice versa). There are pages for each set of math facts from multiples of 2 to 12, as well as a mixed page. These are not free but they are really cute and would be great for a classroom!

Kids of a certain age in mid-elementary school seem to go through a cootie catcher phase, so combine that with learning math facts with these printable multiplication cootie catchers from Artsy Fartsy Mama. These include math facts for multiples of 2 through 9, and as kids choose colors as they play they’ll get a multiplication problem to answer.

Free Printable – Math Calculator Game

Teachers Love This Version Of Monopoly – See Why

Cool Math Art with Parabolic Curves

Adding and Counting Machine

Next Plan Idea:

Fall Math Activities for Kids

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]

Next Plan Idea:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply