Multiplication and Division Centers
This page provides examples of math center activities aligned with the Early Childhood Assessment in Mathematics (Board of Education of the City of New York, 2001; State Education Department) continuum for multiplication and division. These activities can be used by teachers or parents to support students' progress within a stage, or to promote movement to the next stage, on the continuum. For more information on using these centers in your classroom visit the ECAM Centers page. For more ECAM Centers see Counting Centers, Numeration Centers, and Addition and Subtraction Centers.
Stage A: These children are not yet successful in making equal groups and sharing to find products or dividends.
Next Steps:
- Make small equal groups, share small amounts equally using a count by ones strategy.
POSSIBLE ACTIVITIES:
Two Equal Groups
Three Equal Groups
Two Equal Shares
Three Equal Shares
Stage B: These children can make small equal groups, and share small amounts equally using a count by ones strategy.
Next Steps:
- Begin to group, share, and divide collections and to see a group as one unit.
POSSIBLE ACTIVITIES:
Relate Addition and Multiplication
Counting Collections
Stage C: These children can group, share, and divide collections. They see a group as one unit.
Next Steps:
- Use skip counting or repeated addition to find products and dividends.
POSSIBLE ACTIVITIES:
Building Arrays
Array Picture Cards
* See ECAM Counting page Stages D and E for activities to develop skip counting skills.
Stage D: These children use skip counting or repeated addition to find products and dividends.
Next Steps:
- Use thinking strategies to multiply (by tens, doubling, repeated addition, turning around)
POSSIBLE ACTIVITIES:
Word Problems: Arrays (Set 1)
Multiplication Bump (x2 - x5)
Multiples Game (x2 - x 5)
Multiplication Four in a Row (x1, 2, 5, 10)
I Have ... Who Has? (x2 & x5)
I Have ... Who Has (x2 & x10)
* For more multiplication centers see the 3rd Grade Number page.
Stage E: These children use thinking strategies to multiply (by tens, doubling, repeated addition, turning around)
Next Steps:
- Use thinking strategies to divide (by tens, halving, repeated addition or subtraction)
POSSIBLE ACTIVITIES:
Division Race 1 (divisors 2, 5, 10)
Division Squares (divisors 2, 5, 10)
* For more division centers see the 3rd Grade Number page.
