‘Times tables fluency’ takes lots of practise, and with so much to teach in the maths curriculum, we often place the focus for learning times tables at home. This can be hard for some children and so providing opportunities for daily practise in school can help all children to master their multiplication!
Here are some activity ideas for using Flip-It every day to motivate and inspire times table learning:
Learning
Taking a set of cards in order, children can run through the times table to see the ‘progression’ of the table – practising and learning the table along the way.
Practice, practice, practice …. independently!
Some children feel more comfortable practising and self-correcting without someone else watching. The Flip-It allows children to build times tables confidence by exploring the multiplication facts and testing themselves before they are tested by others.
Times tables races
Children can time themselves as part of a class leaderboard, or challenge their friends to a times table race! This is a perfect activity for when children have finished another learning task.
Bingo
Use the Flip-It Cards as question cards for a game of bingo. As the cards have the answers on the back, children can check the answers themselves without the need for an adult!
Splat the number
Set up a 100 square on the IWB. Two children go head to head and stand at the IWB, while another child uses the Flip-It cards to read out a question. First child to ‘splat’ the correct answer can colour in that box their own colour. The person (or team) with the most coloured squares by the end, wins!
Flip the cards
Lay the Flip-It cards facing up with the calculation showing. Children take it in turns to say a calculation that they see and then say the answer. If they get the answer write, they keep the card, if not, they put it back for someone else to have a go. Whoever has the most cards at the end, wins.
Back to Back
Use the Flip-It cards for question cards during a game of back to back. Children can check the answer themselves so that they don’t need an adult to play!
Set up a Flip-It station in your classroom or school corridor
Get creative and design a Flip-It station that can be used by the children when they finish a learning activity or as a reward. You could ask children to ‘Flip-It’ before they enter the classroom or when they pass in the corridor.
Flip-It at lunch!
You could set up a Flip-It activity box that can be used at break or lunchtimes on the playground. Children will be engaged whilst also practising their times tables (there are cards available for other areas too).
Why not use some of these activities to set up a multiplication carousel in your classroom every day?
Take a look at the full range of multiplication and division resources.
