Playing With Multiplication: 15 Engaging Array Games For Kids

August 3, 2023 // by Lauren Du Plessis

To make multiplication more engaging for your little ones, use arrays! An array, which is an arrangement of items in rows and columns, is a useful teaching tool as it provides a visual representation to help your students grasp complex multiplication concepts. Our collection of 13 fun array-related activities will help you turn your classroom into a dynamic learning environment. From scavenger hunts to card games and more, each of these ideas will assist you in building an affinity for numbers in your young learners. Jump right in to discover more!

Let the battle of numbers commence! This card game challenges your students to construct arrays from their dealt cards- with the largest array claiming victory each round. This activity will teach your learners to visualize collections and improve their multiplication skills quickly.

Learn More: Mathcurious

It’s all about strategy in this board game! Have your kiddos roll dice to create array dimensions; aiming to capture the most squares on the grid. Watch as they develop their strategic thinking and spatial awareness.

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Keen to engage your learners in a few puzzles? Arrays can help you achieve this and bring about a math-related focus! Instruct your kiddos to join the right pieces together to form arrays; bolstering their problem-solving skills and deepening their understanding of multiplication.

Learn More: TES

Take your kiddos outdoors for some fresh air and invite them to learn in a new space! Draw arrays on the sidewalk and have your students toss bean bags onto the correct array to answer a given multiplication question.

Learn More: Teach Starter

Lego is great for building imagination, but did you know that you can use the blocks to build multiplication skills too? With Lego bricks, have your learners construct arrays; merging playtime with spatial reasoning and multiplication practice.

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For a break from the monotony of learning within the classroom walls, take your students outdoors and ask them to identify arrays in nature and architecture. This will help you foster their observational skills and promote contextual understanding.

Learn More: Line Upon Line Learning

With this activity, bingo takes on a mathematical twist which will help you hone your students’ quick thinking and array identification skills. Using images instead of numbers, instruct your pupils to race to fill their cards for a fun but educational classroom activity.

Learn More: Teach Starter

Make math an eco-friendly activity by repurposing egg cartons to create different arrays! In doing so, your little ones will learn all about multiplication while appreciating the value of recycling.

Learn More: Talking Math With Your Kids

When math meets art, learning becomes more engaging! Foster creativity and solidify multiplication concepts in your learners by asking them to craft images using brightly-colored arrays.

Learn More: Multiplication.com

Nourish your students’ appetite for learning with this fun activity! Provide them with a blank pizza template and task them with choosing different toppings to place in each cell of the pizza grid. After they craft their tasty masterpieces, you can explain the concept of repeated addition and multiplication in a relatable and engaging manner.

Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers

Here’s a twist on a classic memory game! To play, invite your students to match image cards to their corresponding multiplication facts. This will not only improve your little learners’ array identification and multiplication skills but also help enhance their memory skills.

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Test your kids’ imagination by having them create their own word problems involving arrays. It encourages creative thinking and contextual application of multiplication.

These story problems are wonderful for encouraging creative thinking. Better still- they give your students an opportunity to apply their contextual multiplication knowledge! Jump right in by having each learner create their own word problems using arrays.

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Transform your classroom into a dynamic learning space with an array wall! By encouraging your students to manipulate objects to form arrays, you can promote active learning and concept retention.

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Make your class exciting with a thrilling race to build arrays that are based on drawn multiplication problems! Not only does this game improve multiplication and related visualization skills, but it also encourages friendly competition among your students.

Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers

Here’s a fun, tangible (and tasty) way to explore multiplication concepts! Sweeten the learning experience by getting your pupils to use candies like Skittles or M&Ms to construct arrays.

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Category: Classroom Ideas