Children normally learn multiplication and division by memorizing tables. However, teachers and parents can make these two operations more fun and memorable with games. Playing games develops the physical, mental, emotional and social skills of children. With various practice games, budding math scholars will become more adept at solving different kinds of multiplication and division problems. These games also practice pretend play so the kids get to flex their imaginations along with their math muscles.
Multiplication Bingo
Based on a lesson plan from the Youth Net website, this game requires two sheets of colored paper or thin cardboard, a pen or pencil, scissors and paste for each student. The teacher prepares the products of 16 multiplication problems and bingo patterns beforehand. With the teacher's guidance, each pupil gets one of the two sheets of colored paper and folds it four times so that there are 16 squares. Without reading the problems, the teacher dictates the 16 products, each of which the children will carefully write in order into a different square. Every kid folds the other sheet in the same way but cuts out each square. The game starts when the teacher reads aloud factors. Multiplying these, everyone looks for the product on the first sheet and covers it with a square. This goes on until someone completes a pattern and shouts "bingo!"
Pretend Poker
Kids can practice their multiplication tables with this game. The teacher divides the class into small groups. She gives each group a deck of cards. Each student in the group gets three cards, taking turns picking a card from the deck until all the cards are in the students' hands. The goal is to multiply all the numbers on the cards. The student with the highest hand wins. To make the game more exciting, the teacher can make variations on the rules to practice division as well. For example, the jacks, queens and kings will have designated numbers and serve as divisors, lowering the cards' product. Another variation is to designate one color as multipliers and the other color as divisors. For example, if black is the multiplier color, an all-black hand will have a very high value.
Starships
This subtraction game is similar to Moving into Math on the Hotchalk website. The materials are flash cards with numbers big enough to be multiplication products and two dice big enough for the class to enjoy holding and throwing. The teacher divides the class into two starship fleets who will fight over a star base. The children play the roles of starships while the teacher acts the part of the star base. The teacher holds up a multiplication product and one pupil from each team rolls a die. If a die displays a factor of the product, the student who threw the die joins the teacher. The team with the most starships that get to join the starbase wins.
Tags: class into, colored paper, divides class, divides class into, multiplication division