5 Ways to Practice Multiplication Fluency
I have found that many students struggle to master all of their multiplication facts in my years of teaching. If your students are anything like mine, they’ve said one of the following: “There are too many facts to learn.” “It’s too hard” or “I know them; I just have to draw it out to figure out the answer.” While that is a great strategy to solve a multiplication problem, it is not the best practice for students when they need an answer quickly. I have taught 4th-grade math for many years, and one of the main things I have learned is that 4th-grade math is a lot easier for children that know their math facts. I have put together some different practices and strategies in my classroom that allow my students to master their math facts.
#1 Xtra Math
Xtra Math is an online program that allows students to digitally practice their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It is entirely FREE and is very user-friendly. I use this program for morning work, early finishers, and sometimes even homework. One feature I like about Xtra math is that it already has programmed sessions for students to complete. I say “Go complete one full session of Xtra Math” to my students, and they know they have to stay on until the program says they are complete. This program even provides the teacher with reports on their student’s progress! It is amazing! Even though there are so many beautiful features of Xtra Math, the one downfall I have found is that there’s no way to program multiplication facts or division facts specifically. The students will first have to master the addition and subtraction facts, and then they will be given the multiplication and division facts practice.
#2 Multiplication Math Games
Math games are the perfect way to allow your students to have fun while practicing their math facts. One game my students LOVE is my Multiplication Battle Math game. The game is similar to the card game “War,” but there are a few differences. The game is typically played with only 2 people but can be played with three people if needed. The game concept is to have the greater product between you and your opponent(s). This requires students to know their math facts to play this game. This game is the perfect way for students to practice their math facts while having fun! Plus, once one student wins, students can play again repeatedly. Sign up for my free resource library if you want the Multiplication Battle Math game for FREE!
#3 Fluency Printable Practice
Math Fact Printables are a perfect resource to use in your Upper Elementary classroom. Some printables I use in my classroom include Tic Tac Toe, Multiplication Maze, Roll and Solve, Roll and Race, Multiplication Search, and more! These printables are perfect for small group instruction, math centers, homework, and morning work! These printable activities are great to help your students practice and master their math facts.
#4 Flash Cards
I know this is the oldest strategy in the book, but if you think about it, you know this strategy is still discussed because it still works. Here’s the thing, many students are overwhelmed by the number of math facts that they have to learn and don’t realize that if you take away the math facts that double, there’s not that much to practice and learn. There are five rules I teach my students when we are learning our math facts that help them to narrow down on the math facts that they need to study.
Rule 1: Multiplying by 1. Anything multiplied by 1 is itself!
Rule 2: Multiplying by 2. When you multiply by 2, you double the number!
Rule 3: Multiplying by 10. When you multiply by 10 you add a 0 at the end!
Rule 4: Multiplying by 11. When you multiply by 11, the digit doubles. (This rule does not apply past 11×9)
Rule 5: Multiplying by 5. Skip count by 5 when multiplying by 5!
After removing the double facts (3×4 and 4×3 are the same), only 26 math facts are left for the students to master! Have the students make flashcards of those 26 math fact problems and they are all set! These five rules take some of the stress of learning math facts off the students and allow them to realize they know more facts than they think!
#5 Timed Practice Sheets
I use timed practice sheets in two different ways in my classroom. We complete daily fact practice sheets that have a focus number each week in my class. I begin the week by giving a printed copy to each student and usually play a Flocabulary video or Numberock video specific to the multiple we are focusing on that week. Students have 1 minute and 30 seconds to solve the Monday row on Monday. Each day of the week, the time goes down by 10 seconds, making it only 1 minute to solve the row by Thursday. This strategy allows my students to get daily practice with their math facts each week. On Friday, I give a timed test overall different math facts. Students have 4 minutes to solve 50 math problems in their timed test. Each week’s timed test is not graded, but it does allow for excellent practice. Each week, my students graph their progress, which visualizes their growth throughout the year! Check out my daily math fluency practice pages and my weekly Timed Tests HERE.
