Times Tables Games for 3rd Graders

Multiplication is one of the most basic and important concepts of mathematics. Grade 2, plants a foundation for the topic while the 3rd grade math curriculum introduces the concept of multiplication as a repeated addition. Further, the concept is illustrated using grouping and the connection with other operations are discussed as well. These can be done using good learning games for 3rd graders.

Math Manipulatives for Times Tables

Checkers, Beads or Blocks: The multiplication can be expressed as a repeated addition using these manipulatives.

They can be arranged in an array to show the product.

They can also be arranged to groups of equal size to show the total as the product of the number of groups into the size of each group.

Times Table Charts: This can be used to find the products as well as to analyze the properties and patterns of times tables.

Math Activities or Games for Teaching Times Tables

The topic should be introduced using a variety of multiplication math games for 3rd graders.

Building Blocks: Similar sets consisting of 10 building blocks each can be distributed among the kid to form various products using different shaped blocks. The one who can frame the largest product wins the game.

Times Tables Chart: Kids can be grouped into 6 groups and printable multiplication chart can be distributed.

Each group is guided to analyze times tables as given:

Each group can come up with the observations they deduced about the respective tables. The difficulty level of these multiplication table games can be adjusted by giving larger numbers as factors. Another way is to ask them to fill in the blank multiplication tables.

There are many online multiplication games and multiplication flash cards available that can help learning multiplication table for kids. 

Teaching Methodologies

Multiplication as Grouping

By grade 2, kids are familiar with addition and it lays a foundation for what is multiplication.

In early grades, the definition of multiplication is a repeated addition.

If Teena eats two chocolates every day, the number of chocolates she eats in four days can be found by 2 + 2 + 2 + 2, that is, by adding 2 for four times.

As a repeated addition, this can be shown using a number line by taking 4 leaps of 2.

This can also be represented using tallies, or dots as shown below.

In the tallies or dots, one can see 4 groups of 2s. Such grouping in mathematics is denoted using another mathematical operation called multiplication. The 4 ‘groups of’ 2 are represented as  and read as 4 ‘times’ 2. The total value can be calculated by repeated addition.

Ira buys 6 packets of fancy erasers. Each packet has 3 erasers. How many of them are there in total?

As done before, the total number of erasers can be shown using an array of dots. Each packet has 3 erasers. This can be represented by the first column of the array,

There are such 6 packets or six columns.

Adding the number of erasers at the end of each column, the total number is 18.

Here, the numbers 6 and 3 are called multiplicand and multiplier respectively, or in general factors. The number 18 is called the product.

When represented in an array, the factors are represented using the rows and columns of the array and the total number of dots is the product.

Further, kids can visualize the arrays to represent a given multiplication. Once they are thorough with the basic concept, they learn multiplication tables of one-digit numbers.

Multiplication as a repeated addition as well as using arrays of pictures is treated well in SplashLearn in the 3rd grade worksheets.

Related Equations

Kenn is aligning the plates with cake pieces for his birthday party. He has 32 plates in total and he puts 4 plates in a row. How many would such rows be there?

If the alignment is considered as an array, the total number of plates is 32 and there are 4 plates in a row. So, the number of columns is 4 and the number of rows needs to be found.

Since the number of rows is unknown, we can give an arbitrary symbol, say , to represent the same. Then, this can be written as an equation as:

What number multiplied by 4 gives you 32? It is 8. Thus, the equation becomes  and the number of rows is 8.

Now, aligning 8 rows with 4 plates each in a row, is exactly same as aligning 4 rows with 8 plates in a row. That is,  is same as  . Thus,  and   are called related equations of multiplication.

Properties of Multiplication

The children learn about the properties of multiplication without specifically knowing the names for the same. In the previous section, the child has already learned the commutative property that the product doesn’t depend in the order in which the numbers are multiplied.

Consider the packets of fancy erasers that Irs bought. Suppose, three of her friends also buy the same, so what would be the total number of erasers?

One way to think about the situation is, there are 4 groups of  or 18 erasers now. That is, the total number is  .

Another way is: Since there are 4 kids buy 6 packets each, there are  packets of fancy erasers. Each packet has 3 erasers. So, the total number of erasers is .

Calculated in either way, the number of erasers remain the same, thus,                                                                                                                                                                .

For multiplying relatively larger numbers, kids can break them into smaller numbers. For example, to find the product , kids can break 7 into 5 + 2 and find the sum of the products  and  . That is, .

Further, kids understand that any number multiplied by zero is zero and any number multiplied by 1 is the number itself. 

Multiplication and Division

Going back to the example of aligning plates, if the total number of plates and the number of plates in a row are known, the number of rows represents the division problem. That is, the number of rows is represented by  . Or if the number of rows is known, the number of plates in each row is given by  .

Thus, if we have the multiplication equation , this implies the related equations,

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•  3

Fluency in All the Four Operations

Matt is saving money for buying a new watch. He needs $150 for the same. He saves $10 from his weekly salary. After 5 weeks, what is the amount required to be saved to buy the watch?

In grade 3, the kids get used to using a variable for an unknown quantity. Let  be the amount required to be saved after 5 weeks. Then, the current situation can be represented using the equation,  .

At this level, students learn to perform the operations in the conventional order when there is no parenthesis.

First, find the product.

Now, the sum of 50 and  is 150. So, to find the value of , subtract 50 from 150.

Thus, .

Therefore, Matt has to save $100 to buy the watch.

Sam has a collection of marbles in 8 colors, two of each. Jack has 6 marbles less than Sam. How many marbles does Jack have?

Let Jack has  marbles in his collection. Then,  .

Finding the product first,  .

Now, subtract, 16 – 6 = 10.

Thus, Jack has 10 marbles in his collection.

At this level, kids learn to fluently apply all the four operations, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in two-step word problems.

Addition and Multiplication Tables/Charts

Kids analyze the addition tables to understand the patterns that occur when odd and even numbers are added together.

The kids can be divided into different groups and the teacher can guide them to reach the conclusions about the patterns like the ones listed below.

• The sum of two even numbers is always even.
• The sum of two odd numbers is always even.
• The sum of one odd and one even number is always odd.

In a similar way, the patterns followed by multiplication can also be deduced using a times table sheet.

The patterns followed by an addition table leads to the ones in a multiplication table. With ample example of numbers, kids investigate and find the mathematical reason behind these patterns.

The below listed are some of the patterns in a multiplication chart.

• The product of any number with 2, 4, 6, and 8 are even.
• Any number multiplied by 5 ends with 5 or 0.
• Any number multiplied by 10 ends with 0.
• Every other multiple of 5 is a multiple of 10.

In addition to this, kids can be asked to identify the times tables of various numbers in the multiplication chart.

Further, how to multiply two digit numbers and long multiplication are discussed in higher grades.

SplashLearn has a good amount of practice problems for multiplication by 2, 3,4 etc using number lines, multiplication sheets/charts etc. Practicing with these multiplication arrays worksheets reinforces the concept of multiplication.