If you’re tired of being met by a groan when you say, “multiplication worksheet,” I’ve got your answer! My students LOVE practicing multiplication because I learned the power of using 4th-grade multiplication games.
When students walk into a room with board games set up in various places around them, their eyes LIGHT UP. Excitement builds and they start whispering to each other about the different titles and their “oooh’s” build anticipation as other students walk into a room where their peers are excitedly smiling. Creating this environment for my students when we practice multiplication has made a HUGE difference. Want to try it out? Here are some of my favorite ways to incorporate games into our multiplication practice.
4th Grade Multiplication Games: Hands-On
Board Games are a super easy win for math class! You probably already have a stash of games in your room for indoor recess, the kids know how to play them, so all you need to do is add a little math!
Below are my favorite board games to keep in the classroom. I love using them for multiplication practice, but they work perfectly for any math concept you’re teaching.
Simply break students into groups and assign them a game. Students set up and play the game exactly as they normally would with one exception. In order to take their turn, they must correctly solve a multiplication problem. You can give students a 4th-grade multiplication worksheet, task cards, flashcards, a textbook, any multiplication word problems you want them to solve. Adding a game gives students extra incentive, keeps the lesson fun, and is highly engaging!
- Sorry!
- Connect 4
- Jenga
- Trouble
- Operation
- Candy Land
- Deck of cards – see games below
- Dice – see games below
Classroom Management Tips:
Teacher Tip: When playing games like this I always have both partners solve the problem. This is great for providing extra practice, accountability, and keeps all players focused even when it isn’t their turn.
Teacher Tip: If students cannot agree on a solution, having a designated “calculator” area allows them to check their answers without disrupting your small group. It also gives you the ability to see who needs to use the calculators frequently.
Multiplication Games: Obstacle Courses
Using a multiplication obstacle course is my FAVORITE way to review multiplication word problems. I’ve created a course for 5 main holidays spread throughout the year and the students go crazy for these!
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas
- Valentine’s Day
- St. Patrick’s Day
You can read more about them here: https://shannonmareeteaching.com/4th-grade-multiplication-the-must-know-tips/ Or if this looks like your style, you can check them out here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Games-5-Holiday-Themed-Obstacle-Courses-4927383
Multiplication Practice: Card Games
Card Games are another fun option for students. These 3 games are favorites in my room!
- War: Split the deck between 2 students. Each student plays 2 cards at a time, multiplying to find their product. Whoever has the highest product wins all 4 cards, adding them to their deck. The game is over when one person has all 52 cards in their deck, and they are the winner. If 2 players have a tie when laying down their cards they will flip 2 more cards and find the new product. The highest product from the most recent flip will take all 8 cards on the table. You can easily differentiate and modify this game for all levels. Students can flip 2 cards to multiply 2 single/lower digit numbers or flip up to 5 cards and multiply a 4 digit by 1 digit number. Instruct your students on how you want them to play.
- Closest to…: Split the deck evenly between students. Students take turns picking a number (ex: 85). Then they each flip over 1 card at a time and multiply what they flip. Whoever can get closest to the chosen number (above or below) wins.
- Break the Bank: Similar to “Closet to…” except students work in small groups to see how close they can get to the number provided by the teacher without going over.
- After a round or two, I’ll ring my classroom doorbell and students will switch partners and play again.
Quick Multiplication Games
Quick 5 minute games at the end of the day: These are perfect when you finish a little early and want to use those last 5 minutes of the day for something meaningful.
- Some examples are:
- Students vs the Teacher (put 2 problems on the board and have the class try to solve 1 problem before you solve 2, whoever wins gets a point…whoever has the most points at the end of the 5 minutes wins).
- Another quick and fun student favorite is a game I call “snowball fight,” it works like this. Have students write their own multiplication problem (following the teacher’s given parameters) on a loose-leaf sheet of paper. Students crumple their paper and when you say, “go!” they all throw their papers around the room. Start a timer and they have 3 minutes to find a new snowball, take it to their desk, and solve the problem. With remaining time call on students to share how they solved their problem on the board and have the class use math talk to share if they agree/disagree.
- Tic-Tac-Toe: in order for students to get to draw their “x” or “o” they need to solve a 4th-grade multiplication problem
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