Circles and Stars

Mathematicians in Room 221 learned a new math game yesterday. It's very simple and helps children better understand the concept of multiplication.

You can play with two or more players. All you need is a die, paper and pencils. The goal is to get the highest product. (Remind your mathematician that product is the answer to a multiplication problem.)

The first player rolls the die. The number that is rolled indicates the number of circles the player should draw. The same player rolls the die for a second time. This number indicates how many stars should be drawn in each circle. For example, if I roll a 6, I should draw 6 circles. If I roll a 4 on my next roll, I should draw 4 stars in each circle. Now I have 6 groups of 4 - in other words 6 X 4. Players can solve the multiplication sentence or simply count the stars to find the product.

Play continues with each player completing the same steps. After all players have had a turn, the player with the highest product wins.

The play can continue with as many rounds as you'd like.

The emphasis here is that multiplication is combining equal groups. It is also repeated addition (4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4).

*If your child is already skilled at multiplication, you can always play the game with larger numbers - just use two dice.

Have fun!