Learning multiplication is not as easy as just memorizing the facts. That may help later on, but without understanding the concept of multiplication, it’s really nothing. Start teaching multiplication using equal groups to have a concrete introduction to multiplication.
One of the best things to do is to relate multiplication with things that they already know. Again, it is very important to bring students from concrete to abstract. You can start with drawing different kinds of counters and counting them in equal groups.
Equal groups is one of the strategies I use in order for students not to get too overwhelmed with the idea of multiplication. Equal groups is when you show the same number of objects in a number of groups. These are groups that have the same number of items.
Just look at the drawing below.
It shows that there are 3 groups of 2. Ask students to count the number of groups, then count the number of counters in each group. This will help them realize that there are 3 groups of 2 and that there are 6 in all.
If you’re looking for a way to teach or practice understanding of multiplication, then you can try this activity. It asks the students to show equal groups by dragging and dropping objects into the groups. It also asks them to count the number of equal groups and find the product by using the given pictures. This is on Google Slides so it’s perfect for distance learning.
You may purchase this Google Slide activity on our TPT store.
For more Math activities on Google Slides, you can check out Lego Addition Using Ten Frame and Count the Beachballs Activity.