Multiplication Board, Alison’s Montessori

• Mathematics, 6+

• After much practice with the golden bead material, the snake games, the Seguin boards, the chains, the stamp game, and the strip boards, children are introduced to the 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 around age 5, closer to 6.

• The Multiplication Board from Alison’s Montessori is a perforated wooden board that contains 100 holes. Children can build multiplication products in a concrete manner. The Multiplication Board Complete Set is ideal for promoting autonomy, repetition for mastery, and deep understanding of the concept of multiplication.

Materials

• 1 wooden Board
• 1 box with lid, red beads, numeral tiles, one counter
• 100+ Activity cards
• 1 Wooden container

How it works

• The child selects an activity card and places it near the board. After determining the “multiplicand” and the “multiplier,” the child takes the appropriate numeral tile in the box, which will represent the multiplicand. If the multiplicand is 5, the child selects tile 5, and insert it in the slot on the left side of the board.
• Then, the child places the round counter over the number that represents the multiplier (numbers on top). If the multiplier is 3, the counter is placed above the number 3.
• Now the board is ready to receive the “product,” which is represented by the red beads.

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• The child aligns the beads vertically, from the top to the bottom, to represent the multiplicand. For example, in 5 x 3, if 5 is the multiplicand, we align 5 beads from top to bottom, starting at multiplier 1. This action will be repeated 3 times because the multiplier is 3.

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• The activity cards contain a control for errors on the back. The child can self-correct his work, and keep practicing independently. The Activity Cards are organized to compartmentalize the learning:
• Set A: Simple multiplication
• Set B: Practice with tables 5, 10 (easy tables, common multiples)
• Set C: Practice with tables 2, 4, 8 (even numbers, common multiples)
• Set D: Practice with tables 3, 6, 9 (common multiples)
• Set E: Reversal multiplications (laying a foundation for squaring)

• The Multiplication Board is a concrete way to understand the concept of multiplying. It is simple enough to provide a child with practice and autonomy. A systematic approach to this work using Activity Cards ensures that all multiplication tables have been practiced in a logical manner. This can lead the child to self-discover which multiplication tables have in common with one another. After the Multiplication Board work, a child is ready to move on to the Multiplication Strip Board.

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This post has been made possible thanks to Alison’s Montessori for providing this selected material, at no cost, with no obligation. I write unbiased review on materials that I have been effective for us, and that I believe would make a difference in a child’s learning experience!

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