Leaders of Learning

Supporting Your Child’s Numeracy Skills at Home: Focus on Multiplicative Thinking

This term, our school is placing a specific focus on Times Tables and Grouping Numbers. Developing "Multiplicative Thinking" is a vital milestone; it moves students beyond simple counting and allows them to work with larger numbers, fractions, and proportions with confidence.

When children master their times tables and understand how numbers group together, they unlock the ability to solve complex problems more efficiently. To support our classroom focus, we encourage you to try these practical, stage-specific activities at home.

Kindergarten (Early Stage 1)

Focus: Foundations of Grouping

• Pairing Up: Practice counting by 2s by pairing up socks or shoes. Ask, "If we have 4 pairs, how many shoes is that altogether?"
• Equal Groups: When sharing snacks (like grapes or crackers), ask your child to put them into equal groups of 2 or 5.
• Rhythmic Counting: Use movement while counting—clap on every second or fifth number to build a sense of rhythm in numbers.

Stage 1 (Years 1–2)

Focus: Skip Counting and Arrays

• Array Hunt: Look for "arrays" in the real world—like an egg carton (2 times 6) or a muffin tray (3 times 4). Ask your child to describe the rows and columns.
• Skip Counting in the Car: Practice skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s. Once they are confident, try starting from a random number (e.g., “Count by 10s starting at 14”).
• Repeated Addition: Use Lego bricks or buttons to show that 3 times 2 is just 2 + 2 + 2.

Stage 2 (Years 3–4)

Focus: Multiplication Mastery & Fluency

• Times Table Songs: Music is a powerful memory tool. Search for "Times Table Songs" on YouTube or Spotify (e.g., Laugh Along and Learn or Numberock). Singing the 6, 7, or 8 times tables during the morning routine or in the car makes memorisation effortless.
• Card Game "War": Flip two cards from a deck; the first person to call out the product (the two numbers multiplied together) wins the cards.
• Online Practice: Use quick-fire games like Hit the Button or Meteor Multiplication to build speed.
• Fact Families: Help them see the link between multiplication and division. If they know 4 times 5 = 20, ask them "How many 5s are in 20?"

Stage 3 (Years 5–6)

Focus: Factors, Multiples, and Real-World Application

• The Factor Game: Choose a number (e.g. 24) and see who can name all the factors (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24) the fastest.
• "Beat the Calculator": One person has a calculator, the other uses their brain. Call out a times table (e.g., 7 \times 8). Can your child get the answer before you finish typing it in?
• Grocery Grouping: Use shopping trips for mental maths: "If one pack of yogurt costs $6, how much for 8 packs?" or "This 12-pack is $4.80—how much is each individual yogurt?"
• Double or Half: Challenge them to double or halve a recipe. If a recipe for 4 people needs 300g of flour, how much is needed for 8 people?

Insight from the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute: Multiplicative thinking is the "big idea" that connects almost all professional math. Children who can flexibly group numbers are much better equipped for high school mathematics.

Your support at home makes a massive difference! By turning times tables into a quick game, a song, or an everyday conversation, you show your child that math is a powerful tool they can use every day.

Mrs Matilda Lennon

Instructional Specialist

Mrs Alison Poole

Kindergarten - Year 2 Leader of Learning

Mrs Lucy Chigioni

Years 3-6 Leader of Learning