· 2 min read · Ages 7–9 · Grade 2–3
Multiplication arrays: rows, columns and the two equations under them
Three rows of four dots. The child writes 3 × 4 = 12 and 4 + 4 + 4 = 12 underneath, and multiplication stops being a thing to memorize.
The egg carton is the best multiplication lesson in the house. Two rows of six, and a seven-year-old can see twelve without counting every egg. An arrays worksheet is the egg carton on paper, with the equation written underneath so the picture and the symbols get linked.
What the sheet looks like
The multiplication arrays worksheet has four activities. Write the equations shows a dot array and asks for the multiplication sentence and the repeated addition. Draw the array gives the fact and an empty box. Match prints six arrays and six equations to pair up. Array city gives five buildings and asks the child to draw the windows as an array matching each building's fact. Facts go up to 5, up to 6, or up to 10, with 4 to 12 problems per page and an optional answer key.
Why it works
- Writing both 3 × 4 = 12 and 4 + 4 + 4 = 12 under the same picture is what makes multiplication mean something.
- Draw the array is harder than it looks. A child who writes 3 × 4 fluently can still draw four rows of three, and the conversation about whether that is the same thing is worth having.
- Array city is the same skill with a reason to do it. Nobody has ever complained about drawing windows.
Who it suits
Facts up to 5 with Write the equations is a good introduction in grade 2. Facts up to 10 with Draw the array is a grade 3 sheet. A child who cannot yet count by 3s and 4s will find the arrays slow, so the skip counting worksheet comes before this. When arrays are easy, the multiplication worksheet drops the dots and keeps the equations.
Print Array city on a Friday. It is the one that goes on the fridge.