Playdates

Playdate focus

Use doubling and halving as a way to start using the words of multiplication and division without making a big deal about it.

Storybook properties

This has skip counting and shapes.

Activities properties

These involve doubling, adding or subtracting single-digit numbers with double-digit numbers, and place value.

New words

During the last half of Stage 4, the learning steps involving doubling described starting to use the words “multiply” and “times.” If you haven’t done so already, start using these words more and more. You now have plenty of situations to use those words in.

Doubling and tripling

Doubling is multiplying by 2, and tripling is multiplying by 3, and you should start calling it that. If you are to double some number, say 4, ask your child to multiply it by 2 or ask them what 2 times 4 is. They have all the tools they need, they just need to adjust to the new wording.

Skip counting is multiplying

If your child skip counts by 5’s seven times starting at 0, your child will have seven 5’s. That is the same as multiplying 7 times 5. From now on, anytime your child is asked to do a multiplication problem, they can skip count to find the answer. Over time, they will have better ways to find the answer, but this is a secure method they can use for now.