Multiplication is a quick way to add equal groups. This guide shows you how to teach it, from 3 × 4 with beads to two-digit sums, with worked examples your child can follow.
Multiplication counts equal groups quickly. 3 × 4 is read "3 times 4" or "3 groups of 4". If there are 3 plates with 4 biscuits on each, there are 12 biscuits. The answer is called the product.
The order doesn't change the answer: 3 groups of 4 and 4 groups of 3 both make 12. That halves the number of facts to learn.
Before using times tables, show your child that multiplying is adding the same number again and again. On the abacus, 3 × 4 is: add 4, add 4 again, then add 4 a third time.
Add 4 (1)
4
Add 4 (2)
8
Add 4 (3)
12
This always works, but it is slow for bigger numbers such as 7 × 8. That's why children learn times tables.
| Order | Tables | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2, 5 and 10 | Easy patterns: doubles, counting in 5s, adding a zero |
| 2 | 3 and 4 | The 4 times table is the 2 times table doubled |
| 3 | 9 | The tens digit goes up and the ones digit goes down: 9, 18, 27, 36… |
| 4 | 6, 7 and 8 | The last facts left; many are already known from the other tables |
Learn two or three new facts a day. Build each new fact once on the abacus by repeated addition, then practise it until it comes quickly.
For a sum like 23 × 4, split the bigger number into its places: 23 is 2 tens and 3 ones. Multiply each part by 4, then add the parts on the abacus. Work from the left, biggest place first, the way abacus users do.
Abacus classes use a fixed layout on the rods for multiplication, and teachers differ in where they put each number. The method below gives the same answer and is easier to start with at home.
The most common mistake is putting a part on the wrong rod. In 23 × 4, the 2 means 2 tens, so 2 × 4 = 8 means 8 tens, which is 80. It goes on the tens rod, not the ones rod.
| Digit in 23 | Worth | × 4 | Goes on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 tens = 20 | 80 | the tens rod |
| 3 | 3 ones = 3 | 12 | the tens and ones rods |
| Total | 92 |
Each example builds on the one before. Try them on the practice abacus, or on a real one, while you read.
After step 1
80
After step 2
92
Action
Green outline and arrow = a bead that moved. Faded beads are away from the bar.
Answer: 23 × 4 = 92 · Check: 92 ÷ 4 = 23.
After step 1
240
After step 2
282
Answer: 47 × 6 = 282 · Check: 282 ÷ 6 = 47.
After step 1
300
After step 2
360
After step 3
369
Answer: 123 × 3 = 369 · Check: 369 ÷ 3 = 123.
After step 1
800
After step 3
832
Answer: 208 × 4 = 832 · Check: 832 ÷ 4 = 208.
When both numbers have two digits, split the second number into tens and ones and do two easier sums.
After step 1
340
After step 2
408
Answer: 34 × 12 = 408 · Check: 408 ÷ 12 = 34.
The tool walks you through one sum, a rod at a time. Your child answers each small step and the abacus adds each part, so you can watch the answer build up.
Ten questions at a time. Work each one on the abacus or on paper, then check. A wrong answer shows the right one and how to check it. Only answers right the first time count towards your learning journey.
Next: division on the abacus, which undoes multiplication. For paper practice, make a multiplication worksheet.