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by Jacquie McTaggart
Topics: Third Grade, Math

Here's a guide to getting your third grader up to speed on his multiplication tables.

What You Need:

100 small concrete objects (toothpicks, raisins, M & M’s, pennies, or similar items)

paper and pencil

One set of multiplication flash cards-- you can print and cut out your own onto thick paper using the templates below:

Click here for multiplication flash cards

Laying the Groundwork:

Before a child is asked to memorize the facts, it’s important to know if he understands what multiplication really is. This can be checked in one of two ways.

Option One:

Ask the child to draw small squares (circles, dots, or x's) to illustrate 3 X 4. A correct answer would look similar to this: XXX XXX XXX XXX.

Option Two:

Ask the child to use small concrete items to show 6 X 2. His answer (using M & M’s) would be: OOOOOO OOOOOO.

If your child can do either or both of these options, he’s ready to work on memorization. If he can’t, work with him on similar activities until you are sure he “gets it.” Then start working on the facts.

Sequence:

The student should memorize one set of facts and be able to call out the answers quickly and correctly before working on a new set. Multiplication memorization works best when you do it in a specific order. Here are some tips:

1) Introduce the facts beginning with the 2s. Remind your child that the number that is not a two is doubled. And don't forget to point out that the two factors can be inverted and the answer remains the same. In other words, you can switch their order. (2 X 6 = 12; 6 X 2 = 12) If a student is reminded of this concept (over and over and over again) and understands it, he will have far fewer facts to memorize as he proceeds to higher numbers. For example, he won’t have to memorize 8 X 6 because he will already have learned that 6 X 8 = 48.