How your child
learns to calculate:
Multiplication
Times table knowledge:
Year 2: Children should know their 2, 5 and 10 times tables.
Year 3: Children should know their 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10 times tables.
Year 4: Children should know their 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 times tables.
Solving multiplication problems:
Year 1: Children start by recognising multiplication as counting repeated
groups of the same size.
They start to count in ones, twos, fives and tens.
Year 1 /2: To solve multiplication problems children use blocks or bead strings
to support their repeated addition counting. They can use arrays (see below)
to represent multiplication:
Using written methods (Year 2 +):
Skills needed to be able to solve multiplication calculations:
-
partitioning
doubling and halving
multiplying by 10
know multiplication facts (up to 10 x 10 by Year 4)
Solving multiplication, using repeated addition
This is the first step. Children learn that multiplication is the same as adding
the same amount a number of times. We are adding ‘groups of’ numbers.
Children start by using a number line to add the groups:
There are 6 jumps on the number line, each one adding 3 and giving a total of
18.
Children can then use their known times table facts, together with a number
line to start solving larger calculations. Children use the key facts of 10 x, 5 x,
2x and 1 x to support their working:
Because we are multiplying by 3, the key facts for the 3 times table are listed
first. Then the number line is used together with the key facts to create a total
of 18 groups of 3.
The importance of knowing their times tables becomes evident at this stage.
Solving multiplication, using partitioning and a grid (Year 3 +)
This method is effective for bigger numbers.
As for addition, children partition any numbers with 2 or more digits:
They then put all the numbers into a multiplication grid:
Children work out each part of the grid.
(Being able to solve 30 x 7 relies on children knowing that 3 x 7 is 21, and that
30 is ten times bigger than 3):
To find the answer children then add both answers together:
If children need to partition the numbers to support their adding they can do
this, however, a lot of children at this stage would not need to partition these
numbers to see the answer.
The grid can be extended to solve multiplication calculations with bigger
numbers and decimals, for example:
(Note: Multiplying decimals from Year 5)
Solving multiplication, using a vertical layout
Many children are happy and secure using the grid method and prefer to stick
with it.
For children wanting a different method, this uses the same idea as the grid,
but without actually using the grid:
This method would only be suitable for children very confident in both their
multiplication knowledge and addition skills.
A lot of children try it, but decide that they prefer to use the grid method.
Important note:
All children are different and should be allowed to choose the method that
they feel most comfortable and confident with.
Knowing times table facts by heart is key to being able to multiply bigger
numbers effectively. Children must work on these regularly to support their
progression in calculating.