Multiplication and Division Centers

This page provides examples of multiplication and division centers aligned with the Early Childhood Assessment in Mathematics (ECAM) continuum for multiplication and division (Board of Education of the City of New York, 2001; State Education Department). These multiplication and division 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 ECAM continuum. While the most recent version of the ECAM manual (2015) does not include the Multiplication and Division strand we have left the multiplication and division centers on our site for those schools choosing to still use the orginal version.

For centers aligned with the Counting continuum see here. For centers aligned with the Numeration continuum see here.  For centers aligned with the Addition and Subtraction continuum see here.  For more information on using centers as an ongoing routine to develop math fluency 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)

* For more multiplication and division centers see the 3rd Grade Number page.