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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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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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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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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Mental Math Multiplication Posters
Use this set of multiplication posters in your classroom when teaching different mental math strategies.
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Soccer Stories - Problem Solving Worksheets
Practice multiplication, division, and problem solving skills with a high-interest soccer-themed scenario activity.
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5th Grade Whole Number Operations Assessment
Asses student understanding of adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing whole numbers with this math assessment.
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3-Digit by 2-Digit Multiplication Task Cards
Practice solving vertical 3-digit by 2-digit multiplication problems with this set of 18 task cards.
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3-Digit by 2-Digit Multiplication Worksheet
Sharpen computation skills by solving 3-digit by 2-digit multiplication problems.
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Multiplication Mystery Picture (Pencil)
Use the color-coded multiplication guide to complete the grid and reveal a mystery picture.
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Missing Digit Multiplication - Interactive Activity
Encourage critical thinking with this missing digit multiplication activity.
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Factor Pairs – Worksheet
Find factor pairs through 100 with this math worksheet.
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Find a Factor
Strengthen multiplication and mental math skills with this factor game.
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Color by Number - Multiplication Facts of 12
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of multiplication facts.
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Color by Number – Repeated Addition
An engaging activity to prepare students for understanding the concept of multiplication.
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Multiply Those Toys!
A fun way for students to practice using repeated addition as a way to represent multiplication.
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Color By Number - Mental Math Practice
A set of 5 color by number sheets that can be used to practice mental math.
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Multiplication and Division Worksheets – Facts of 5
A set of worksheets to help students develop fast and accurate recall of the facts of 5.
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Crazy Boxes – Multiplication Facts of 4, 6, 7, and 8
Create a color pattern using multiplication facts of 4, 6, 7, and 8 with this color by number worksheet.
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Crazy Boxes – Multiplication Facts of 2, 3, 5, and 10
Create a color pattern using multiplication facts of 2, 3, 5, and 10 with this color by number worksheet.
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Number Talks - Multiplication Facts Task Cards
Build multiplication fact fluency with this set of 24 task cards.
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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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Math Word Problem Match-Up Game - Basic Multiplication and Division
Twenty word problem cards to use in the classroom when learning to differentiate between multiplication and division situations.
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Multiples of 12 Poster
A poster showing the multiplication facts of 12.
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Multiplication and Division - Which Operation Is It? – Interactive PowerPoint
An interactive 64-slide PowerPoint to use when learning to solve multiplication and division word problems.
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Multiplication or Division? Problem Solving Cards
20 multiplication and division problem solving cards.
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Bobby's Board Games – Math Game Challenge
Challenge students to design and create a math board game.
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Multiplication and Division Fact Matchup Cards - Multiples of 11
A set of multiplication and division fact matchup cards for multiples of 11.
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Multiplication and Division Fact Matchup Cards - Multiples of 10
A set of multiplication and division fact matchup cards for multiples of 10.
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Multiplication and Division Fact Matchup Cards - Multiples of 9
A set of multiplication and division fact matchup cards for multiples of 9.
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Multiplication and Division Fact Matchup Cards - Multiples of 8
A set of multiplication and division fact matchup cards for multiples of 8.