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Mumsnet Discussions: Education : How can I explain my son multiplication? (15 messages)
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Contact the poster See this person's profile Contact mumsnet about this post By QuintessentialShadows on Wed 07-May-08 20:41:51
I was talking with me son (6) today about his school work, and asked if it was anything he found difficult. He told me he does not understand multiplication. How can I best explain it?

Should I just give him the tables and ask him to memorize them? I think that is what we did in school. But how do I explain it?
Contact the poster Contact mumsnet about this post By cosima on Wed 07-May-08 20:44:03
by describing them as 'lots of or groups of ie 4 groups of 3 blocks etc. but yes learining times tables is really good ( as is spelling)
Contact the poster Contact mumsnet about this post By cosima on Wed 07-May-08 20:44:30
got any squared paper
Contact the poster Contact mumsnet about this post By southeastastra on Wed 07-May-08 20:45:56
those number squares are good. i count the numbers with my son. it's so hard though
Contact the poster See this person's profile Contact mumsnet about this post By Aimsmum on Wed 07-May-08 20:46:03
When DD was struggling with it in the very beginning we used beads to help her understand it.

ie if the question was 3x4 we made 3 group of 4 beads and so on.

She found it a lot easier when she could visualise something. She now understands it really well.
Contact the poster See this person's profile Contact mumsnet about this post By QuintessentialShadows on Wed 07-May-08 20:48:31
Thanks, I shall use lego pieces! grin
Contact the poster Contact mumsnet about this post By southeastastra on Wed 07-May-08 20:48:57
an abacus is a brilliant idea thanks aimsmum

why are they learning times tables so early though.
Contact the poster See this person's profile Contact mumsnet about this post By QuintessentialShadows on Wed 07-May-08 20:50:19
Is six early for this?
Contact the poster Contact mumsnet about this post By southeastastra on Wed 07-May-08 20:51:26
probably not, but my son is still grasping the basics
Contact the poster See this person's profile Contact mumsnet about this post By QuintessentialShadows on Wed 07-May-08 20:55:25
My son is ok with adding and subtracting and can now do it quite quickly in his head. But I dont know the curriculum as we are in a new school and in a new country. He was ahead in maths in London, but now he is in a mixed class of reception, year1 and year2. He is supposedly getting tailored tuition, so I am not sure where he is. We have a parent - child - teacher conference on tuesday, hopefully I will know better then.
Contact the poster See this person's profile Contact mumsnet about this post By barnstaple on Wed 07-May-08 21:14:13
Multiplication is just a short cut for adding. I have suffered dd 'learning' her tables for years at school and she's still not confident as they don't recite them much. There's no real need to 'understand' multiplication in order to learn tables; in fact, while learning tables you will realise that they are just quick addition. Bring back learning by rote!
Contact the poster See this person's profile Contact mumsnet about this post By Piffle on Wed 07-May-08 21:19:17
use sweets! Works really well as reward system. If you have 4 sweets on everyday of the week and show the groups physically. Then explain it down to 7 lots of 4 etc
did this with dd aged 3-4 and she is a whizz now!
Contact the poster Contact mumsnet about this post By milliec on Thu 08-May-08 14:32:02
And don't make him learn his 12 times table - 10 X 10 plus 2x 10 is exactly the same as 12 x 10
Contact the poster Contact mumsnet about this post By summer111 on Fri 09-May-08 20:34:44
My dc's have learned multiplication as 'groups of' aswell - I used to keep a box of dried pasta shapes in the cupboard for their multiplication homework!
Contact the poster See this person's profile Contact mumsnet about this post By duchesse on Tue 13-May-08 12:11:29
sweets- groups of friends and numbers of sweets needed. Food always worked for mine... Also may help to actually small sweets to count out, and motivate him with a sweet for every success!


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