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 math centers can be used by teachers or parents to support students' progress within a stage, or to facilitate movement to the next stage, on the continuum. While the 2015 version of the ECAM Manual does not include the Multiplication and Division strand we have left the Multiplication and Division Centers on the website for those schools still using the original version.

For math centers aligned with the Counting continuum see here. For math centers aligned with the Numeration continuum see here.  For math centers aligned with the Addition and Subtraction continuum see here.  For more information on using ECAM centers as an ongoing routine in Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade classrooms see here.

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 Centers:
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 Centers:
Relate Addition and Multiplication
Counting Collections (ver.6)

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 Centers:
Building Arrays
Array Picture Cards

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 Centers:
Word Problems: Arrays (Set 1)
Multiplication Bump (x2 - x5)
Multiples Game (x2 - x 5)
I Have ... Who Has? (x2 & x5)
I Have ... Who Has (x2 & x10)

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 Centers:
Division Squares (divisors 2, 5, 10)