Interactive Multiplication Cards

Recently, I had the brilliant idea that I was going to make my 7 year old some multiplication flashcards. He started learning his times tables recently in the adaptive online math program he uses. (Review to come…I like it, but haven’t decided how much.) However, about 3 colorful homemade cards in, I discovered that my markers were starting to dry out. If there’s one thing I can not abide, it’s subpar office supplies. I also realized that making these cards by hand was going to take nothing short of eternity.

In order to save myself some time and frustration, I decided to go the digital route and made my son these free printable interactive multiplication cards instead. I figured if I was going to take the time to print and laminate cards, I should make them a little more fun than standard store bought cards, so I made some interactive options which my son seems to enjoy.

Generally speaking, I’m not a big fan of using flashcards with little kids. (Though I am a fan of Montessori-inspired matching games.) However, I’ve come to a point in the education of my oldest where I’ve realized there are just certain things that he’s going to HAVE to memorize.

I’ll still try to make multiplication fun. For example, he really likes Times Tales. We also play multiplication games once in awhile. One fun, free game is How Close to 100? from YouCubed. My son LOVES that one.

However, these multiplication cards are great for quick review and assessment. By going through a small stack, like 3’s or 4’s, he and I can quickly determine which ones he has down and which ones he’s struggling with. That way we know where to focus our memorization efforts.

One way to make them a little more interactive and fun is to use mini post-it notes to cover up the answer. That way when my son is using them on his own, if he doesn’t know the answer, he can flip it over and look at the array of dots to try and jog his memory before checking the answer.

Since I’ve laminated my cards, another interactive option is to cover up the answer with a dry erase marker.

That way he can wipe off the ink with a tissue to see if he got the answer right. Multiplication almost as fun as a lottery scratcher ticket!

Recommended Age Range: Elementary
Time Required: ~1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free printable. A couple dollars for laminating sheets if using.

Materials:

• Paper for printing interactive multiplication cards printable.
• 10 laminating sheets
• Glue stick
• Optional: Small post-it notes (I had some 3/4 in x 2 in post-its that I used, but those don’t seem to be sold online. These would work, but need to be cut in half.)
• Optional: Black dry erase marker

Supplies & Tools:

• Laminator
• Scissors

Instructions:

1. First, print the printing interactive multiplication cards printable.
2. Cut out the borders of all the pages.



3. Fold all the pages in half so that the two sides can be glued together to make double-sided flashcards.



4. Glue both sides of all the pages together.



5. Cut the cards apart.



6. Laminate them if desired (necessary for the dry-erase interactive option).



7. Cut them out leaving a small border around each card in case the glue doesn’t hold.



8. If you would like to make them interactive, you can use post it notes to hide the answer. I had some 3/4″ x 2″ post-its lying around, so I folded them almost in half to make flaps about the right size. You could also cut these in half widthwise.



9. You could also cover up the answer with a black dry-erase marker and let the child wipe-off the ink.

So far my son has only learned his 2’s, 3’s, and 4’s. When we review a stack, I tell him we’re playing a game. If he gets the right answer, he gets to keep the card. If he misses any, I get those cards (then we do those ones again). So far he’s never lost. The last time we “played” using the stack of 3’s, I only got one card (3 times 9 is not 28). When he was done, I placed my “stack” of one card next to his pile of 9 cards and said, “I think I won.” He thought that was funny. He’s only 7 and I know he probably won’t enjoy my sense of humor forever, but it’s nice to see him smiling and laughing while he works on memorizing math facts.

Enjoy!

Click here for more Math activities and printables for kids.

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