Multiplication Teaching Resources
Teach multiplication with ease this school year with free printable multiplication worksheets, digital activities, games and more to help students understand how to multiply numbers and apply multiplication strategies to math problems.
This teaching resource collection was created by the teachers on the Teach Starter team for elementary teachers, and each curriculum-aligned resource has been carefully reviewed and curated to ensure it's ready to use with your students!
Explore multiplication charts and tables, methods for explaining the associative and commutative properties and more, plus find differentiated resources to help you meet each student's needs!
Want to learn more about multiplication? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Is Multiplication? A Kid-Friendly Definition
Introducing multiplication to your class? Let's get started with a definition of this math operation that's easy for them to understand.
Multiplication is the process of adding a number to itself many times. It's a simple way to figure out how much you'll have when you add the same number again and again.
Let's look at an example.
Pretend you have 3 apples, and you want to multiply them by 4.
If you did this, you would end up with 12 apples because you added 3 apples to itself four times (3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 12).
Multiplication Terms
Launching into multiplication in your math class involves plenty of new vocabulary words for your students to learn! Here are some of the terms you will want to start off with.
Product
The product of a multiplication problem is the result of multiplying two or more numbers together. It's basically the answer to your math problem!
Partial Product
If the product is the answer, what's a partial product? This is the name of each product when you break apart the factors and multiply the parts in a multi-digit number. While there are many ways to solve multiplication problems with partial products, the box method is a common strategy to help students break apart each factor before multiplying.
Factor
In multiplication, the factor is the number that is being multiplied by another number to get a product. For example, in the problem 3 x 4 = 12, the numbers 3 and 4 are factors, and the product is 12.
Multiplication Table
Sometimes called a times table, a multiplication table that shows the products of all the possible combinations of two numbers.
What Is the Associative Property of Multiplication?
The associative property of multiplication means we can change the grouping of the factors being multiplied, and it won't change the product. For example:
- (2 x 3) x 4 = 2 x (3 x 4) = 24
No matter how we group the factors being multiplied, the product will always be the same!
A cartoon version of the multiplication symbol
What Is the Commutative Property of Multiplication?
The commutative property of multiplication means we can change the order of the multiplied factors without changing the product. For example:
- 3 x 4 = 4 x 3 = 12
This means we can multiply the factors in any order we like and still get the same result!
What Is the Distributive Property of Multiplication?
Another property of multiplication students learn in elementary school is distributive. This means we can distribute a factor across the sum or difference of two other factors.
This property is handy when we want to break down a more complicated multiplication problem.
Let's look at an example:
- 4 x (3 + 2)
We can use the Distributive Property to rewrite this expression as:
- (4 x 3) + (4 x 2)
Now we can simplify each of these products separately:
- 12 + 8 = 20
Using the distributive property, we can figure out that the original problem 4 x (3 + 2) — is equivalent to 20.
What Is the Identity Property of Multiplication?
The identity property of multiplication lets you simplify multiplication problems involving the number 1. When we multiply any number by 1, the product is the same as the original number!
Let's say we have the problem 5 x 1. When we apply the identity property, we know that the product of 5 and 1 is 5 itself, since 1 is the multiplicative identity!
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Multiplication Chart
Print a handy multiplication chart for your students — it's free for teachers!
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Roll It! Operations Game
Use this fun game to practice all four operations and/or order of operations.
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Array Match-Up Activity for 3rd Grade
Challenge your students to create sets of arrays, multiplication facts and products with this matching game for 3rd grade.
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Group It Many Ways – Multiplication Activity
Promote hands-on learning with this activity, where students will practice making equal groups to represent multiplication.
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Color by Number – Multiplication Fact Practice (Mixed)
Practice multiplication facts through 12 with this fun color by number worksheet.
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Multiplication and Division Worksheets – Facts of 2
A set of worksheets to help students develop fast and accurate recall of the facts of 2.
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Fill the Grid Active Game
An active game that allows students to practice their multiplication facts.
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Number Talks – Multiplication Representation Task Cards
Help your students discover different ways to represent multiplication with this set of number talk cards.
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Number Talks – Multiplication Strategies Task Cards
Help your students build number sense skills and sharpen their understanding of how to multiply 2 digits by 1 digit with this set of 24 task cards.
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Desk-Sized Multiplication Charts for Students
Download 4 desk-size multiplication charts so every student can keep their own chart handy!
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2-Digit by 1-Digit Multiplication Worksheet
A worksheet for students to practice multiplying 2-digit numbers by 1-digit.
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Donut You Love Arrays? Interactive Task Cards
Help your students relate multiplication facts and arrays with this set of 24 interactive task cards.
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Equal Groups Bracelet Designs – Multiplication Worksheets for 3rd Grade
Challenge your students to design bracelets by using the equal groups multiplication strategy with this set of 3rd grade math worksheets.
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Introduction to Multiplication Strategies Teaching Slides
Introduce your students to different multiplication strategies such as arrays, equal groups, repeated addition and skip counting with this 34-page slide deck.
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Color by Number – Repeated Addition and Multiplication
Guide your students to connect repeated addition with multiplication by completing this color-by-code multiplication worksheet.
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Skip Counting and Multiplication Differentiated Worksheets
Use this differentiated worksheet set to provide independent practice using skip counting to solve multiplication expressions.
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Skip Counting by 2,3,4,5, & 10 Mystery Picture
Excerpt: Have your students uncover a mystery picture by solving skip counting problems to and multiply by 2,3,4,5 & 10.
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Basketball Math- Mixed Operations Worksheet
Practice multiplication, division, fractions, and problem-solving skills with a high-interest basketball-themed math task
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The Escape From Millbrook Manor – Halloween Escape Room
Practice computation skills by solving puzzles with this differentiated Halloween escape room game.
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Multiplication With Arrays Teaching Slides
Teach your students how to connect multiplication with arrays with this 16-slide teaching presentation.
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Multiply or Divide It! Board Game
Practice multiplying and dividing numbers by 10 and 100 with this board game.
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Math Word Problem Task Cards - Multiplication and Long Division
Solve multi-step multiplication and long division word problems with a set of printable math task cards.
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Multiplication as Repeated Addition – Interactive Picture Reveal
Help your students understand the relationship between repeated addition and multiplication with this interactive picture reveal.
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Multiplication as Repeated Addition Worksheet Pack
Strengthen student understanding of multiplication and repeated addition with this worksheet pack designed for 3rd grade students.
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Multiplication Arrays Mini-Book
Teach your students about multiplication and array models with this printable mini-book.
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Match the Arrays Worksheet Pack
Give your students practice matching arrays and multiplication facts with these math worksheets for 2nd and 3rd grade.
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Multi-Digit Multiplication Strategies Poster Pack
Teach your students about different multi-digit multiplication methods with this set of math posters.
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Multiplication Array Puzzles
Guide your students to match arrays, multiplication facts and repeated addition sentences with this set of puzzles.
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Multiplication With Arrays Task Cards
Practice multiplication with arrays using this set of 20 task cards in a variety of ways.
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Number Talks - Making Ten Task Cards
Build number sense skills with this set of 20 task cards.
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Multiplication Color By Number Worksheet Pack
Practice those times tables with a fun set of multiplication color by number worksheets.
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Fill-in-the-Blank Multiplication Chart Task Cards
Use this set of task cards to Improve student understanding of multiplication tables by recalling facts through 10 × 10.