My oldest son really struggles to memorize. He always has and probably always will. So even though we’ve been playing our super fun multiplication games, asking for a quick answer to 4 x 7 often causes lots of anxiety. So, it was back to the drawing board for me {this is the part of teaching that I love.}
He knew 1x, 2x, 5x, 10x, and 11x very well. It was all the others. I felt like if he could memorize just the multiplication doubles really well, those would give him a “home base” or “markers” in his memory to use to figure out the unknowns quicker.
And even though he may not have all of his facts memorized, at least he’d have a quick strategy. I’m a firm believer of multiple and meaningful exposure, so I know once he starts using multiplication more, it will all begin to “stick” more.
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I’ll never forget learning from my silly uncle as a child that the number 144 is called a gross. When we’ve practiced our doubles over the last couple of weeks, 12 x 12 is always answered with “a gross”. 🙂 And that was the inspiration to this quick and fun card game for those multiplication doubles.
Update: We’ve discovered Times Tales. If you have a child that struggles with multiplication, I HIGHLY recommend Times Tales. Through stories and mnemonic devices, your child CAN learn their facts!!
Card Game for Learning Multiplication Doubles
The card game called “Ew! That’s Gross!” {played in a similar manner as our “Shh! Don’t Wake the Baby!”} and here’s the low-down:
Print all cards on cardstock and laminate if you desire {this is my favorite laminator.} Cut out all cards. There are four of each double 1-11 and six “Ew! That’s Gross!” cards. {For 2-4 players}
1. Shuffle all cards and place them face down in a stack.
2. Players take turns picking the top card, turning it over and answering the multiplication double problem. Each player keeps his own pile.
3. Play continues in this manner until a player draws a 12 x 12 {Ew! That’s Gross!} card. If a player draws this card, he must put all the cards he has collected into a communal discard pile. He no longer can count those cards as his.
4. The player with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner.
More Games You May Enjoy:
- 12+ Multiplication Games
- Spelling Word Bump! {a math and spelling game for every season}
- CVCe Rhyming Word Blackout
- Long Vowel BINGO
Follow This Reading Mama’s board Math Learning for Kids on Pinterest.
Download our Card Game for Multiplication Doubles HERE.
Enjoy!
~Becky
Thank you so much for sharing your amazing resources!
I appreciate you and your gift of being able to create hands-on learning activities that make learning more memorable and fun!
Thank you! You are welcome!