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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Skip Counting for Multiplication Interactive Activity
Teach multiplication using the skip counting strategy with this fun, interactive digital teaching resource!
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Skip Counting and Multiplication Matching Game
Use this resource as a hands on-task to practice using skip counting to solve multiplication expressions.
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Fact Family Safari (Multiplication and Division) Interactive Resource
Go on a colorful safari adventure with your students and help them solve interactive challenges whilst learning about multiplication and division fact families!
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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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Math Symbols Posters with Vocabulary
Students can often identify the mathematical symbol, but what about all of the different names for it?
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Math Graphic Organizers - Printable Work Mats
Practice working on specific math concepts with our set of 5 printable math graphic organizers.
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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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Strip Diagram (Bar Model) Poster Pack
Help your students solve problems using the four operations with a pack of printable strip diagram anchor charts.
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Multiplication Color By Number Worksheet - Kangaroo
Hop your way through multiplication mastery with a multiplication color-by-number worksheet.
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Multiplication and Division Fact Families Teaching Slides
Introduce your students to multiplication and division fact families with this 18-page editable instructional slide deck.
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5th Grade Math Review – Google Slides Interactive Activity
Review important 5th-grade math standards with a student-led interactive activity that covers 12 different mathematical concepts.
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The Mathematical Easter Egg Hunt
Solve number sentences and determine the codewords with this differentiated Easter egg hunt activity.
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Pop Art Products - Basketball Color By Number
Bring some pop art into the classroom with a multiplication color-by-number worksheet.
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Easter Color By Number Worksheet - Multiplication Facts
Bring a bit of spring into the classroom with a multiplication color by number worksheet.
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2-Digit Multiplication Tarsia Puzzle — Basketball-Themed
Practice multiplying two-digit by two-digit numbers with a basketball-themed tarsia puzzle for 4th or 5th grade.
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Basketball Math- Interactive Slides
Tame the March “Mathness” by solving problems and analyzing data with an exciting basketball-themed interactive activity.
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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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5th Grade Math Review – Test Prep Packet
Encourage your students to work through 8 pages of 5th-grade math problems while charting their progress to measure their success.
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Build a Multiplication Gnome – Multiplication Fluency Game
Have fun recalling multiplication facts and building a cute gnome with this math game.
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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.
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Math Bowl - Mixed Operations Word Problem Game
Score a mathematical touchdown with by solving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division word problems with an exciting football math game.
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Array Races Multiplication Game – Facts 2, 3, 5, and 10
Create arrays to fill the board with this fun multiplication game.
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Factor Pairs – Google Slides Interactive Activity
Determine the factors of numbers less than 100 with these interactive slides.
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Penalty Kick - Multiplication Football Math Game
Win the multiplication fact champtionship with this multiplayer Penalty Kick Football Card Game!
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Valentine's Mystery Picture - Multiplication Color By Number Worksheet
Have fun with your Valentine’s Day Math practice with a multiplication mystery picture worksheet.
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Prime Factorization – Google Slides Interactive Activity
Determine the prime factorization of a number with this set of interactive activities.
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Factor Craftivity
Create a fun craft while determining factor pairs of a given number.
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Football Multiplication Mystery Picture
Use the color-coded multiplication guide to complete the grid and reveal a mystery picture.
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Whole Number Operations – Math Mats
Strengthen computation skills with these math mats when reviewing how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide whole numbers.
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Whole Number Operations Review
Review concepts of long division and multi-digit multiplication with this worksheet.
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Mental Math Multiplication Posters
Use this set of multiplication posters in your classroom when teaching different mental math strategies.
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Skip Counting Posters
Reinforce skip-counting and listing multiples of a number with this muted-rainbow number display.