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Recommended Age: 5 to 6 years (may be younger depending on the child’s skills and experiences)

Purpose: To help the memorization process for multiplication

Level of Parent Involvement: Medium, the adult must facilitate the initial exercise, once shown the child may work independently

Prerequisites

• The child must be able to count accurately from 1-10 and onwards
• The child must be able to write numbers
• The child must be able to match the numeral symbol with its quantity of numbers 1-10 and beyond
• The child must have had many experiences in operations with the golden beads (addition, subtraction, MULTIPLICATION and division)
• The child has been introduced to skip counting through work with the short and long bead chains
• The child has worked with the multiplication beads

Materials

* A wooden board with 100 holes for 100 red beards with numerals 1 to 10 across the top to indicate the multiplier, a hole to place the marker, a slot at the side with a hole to show the card with the multiplicand

* A box with the cards for the multiplicand

* A red disc to indicate the multiplier

* Prepared multiplication tables 1 to 10

* Pencil

* Multiplication chart 1

OR, if doing this exercise with your child from home, you will be using the paper version of the multiplication board, refer PDF

Preparation

• Print and cut out the number cards and circles to use with the multiplication board. You may use small buttons, sequins or beads instead of the printed circles (see multiplication board PDF)

Steps

• Invite the child, introducing the multiplication board, bring the materials to the table
• Introduce the number cards explaining they tell us which number we want to take, show the child how to slide the card into the board
• Introduce the disc, explaining to the child it tells us how many times we want to take the number
• Invite the child to choose a number card and slide it into the board, for example 5
• Show the child how to make 5 with the red beads on the board, then remove
• Then ask the child “how many times do you want to take 5?”
• Child responds “2” for example, child places the disc above the number
• Invite the child to take 5, 2 times using the red beads to place onto the board
• Then count the red beads with the child saying “5 taken 2 times is ten”
• Repeat a few more times giving the child practice with using the board, the may choose different number cards to slide in and they may move the disc
• After the child has had sufficient practice bring the pencil and the prepared multiplication tables paper
• Child chooses a number and writes at the top of the paper, then fills in the answers using the multiplication board
• Child may do as many papers as they please
• At the end show the child control chart 1 to check their answers

Variations

• None