App
Prodigy
$9.95/mo(0)
Multiplication games
Updated · By Edulist · 4 sources
Times tables
A product appears. Tap the fact that makes it. No timer. Missed facts come back.
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How to use it
- Pick a game
Speed match, Memory pairs, Missing factor or Array builder. Each card says what to do. Arrays are the best start for children new to multiplication; Speed match is the fastest once facts are known.
- Pick the times tables
Tap the tables to include, or All. Start with tables your child is learning now, plus one or two they already know, so most answers come quickly.
- Choose Practice, Quiz or Challenge
Practice has no timer and missed facts come back. Quiz is timed and scored. Challenge is 60 seconds (90 for Memory pairs) with points that grow with your streak.
- Check the results
See the score, time and missed facts, then press Retry missed to practice just those. Your best score for each game stays on this device.
Printables to go with it
Four multiplication games on one engine
Each game practices multiplication facts from a different direction. Children who can answer 7 × 8 can't always say which facts make 56, or what's missing in 7 × □ = 56, and switching between the directions builds facts that hold up in real problems.
| Game | What your child does | What it builds |
|---|---|---|
| Speed match | A product appears (56). Tap the fact that makes it from four choices. | Working backward from a product; speed |
| Memory pairs | Flip cards two at a time to match each fact with its product. | Recall, plus memory and concentration |
| Missing factor | Find the hidden number: ? × 6 = 42 or 7 × ? = 56. | Unknown factors and the link to division |
| Array builder | Set rows and columns (or tap the board) to build 3 rows of 4, or any array with 12 dots. | What multiplication means; factor pairs |
All four use the same fact engine as our times tables game, and every answer updates the same mastery record. A child can play Memory pairs on Friday and see the facts they matched turn green on the grid.
How each game works
Speed match
The product is shown big. Four facts are offered, and only one makes that product. The wrong choices are close: facts from the same table, or products a few apart, so the game rewards knowing, not guessing. In Challenge mode it becomes a 60-second sprint where five right in a row doubles the points.
Memory pairs
Six pairs (eight in Challenge) are dealt face down: one card per fact and one per product. Every product on the board is different, so each fact has exactly one match. Flip two cards; a match stays up, a mismatch flips back after a moment. In Quiz mode a pair counts as right first try only if it was matched without a wrong flip involving it. This is the most popular game with younger children, and the most forgiving.
Missing factor
The equation has a box where one factor should be. Your child types the missing number (or picks from four in Challenge). Unknown factor problems are in the 3rd grade standards (3.OA.A.4) because they connect multiplication to division: 7 × □ = 56 is the same question as 56 ÷ 7.
Array builder
An array is a rectangle of equal rows, the picture most math programs use to teach multiplication. The board is 10 by 10. Tap a square to make that square the corner of the array, or use the Rows and Columns buttons. Half the questions ask for an exact array (3 rows of 4); the other half ask for any array with a number of dots, and every factor pair counts.
Practice, Quiz or Challenge
| Mode | Timer | Tries | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practice | None | Unlimited; after three misses the answer is shown and the fact comes back later | Right on the first try |
| Quiz | Counts up | Three per question | Percent right on the first try, then time |
| Challenge | 60 seconds (Memory pairs: 90) | One | 10 points per answer, more for streaks, plus a time bonus |
The What Works Clearinghouse practice guide for elementary math intervention recommends regularly including timed activities to build fluency. The order matters, though: understanding first, then untimed practice, then speed. A child who is still counting will find Challenge stressful and learn little from it. Use Practice until most answers come quickly.
Which multiplication games fit which grade
| Grade | What to work on | Games to use |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd | Equal groups and arrays; doubles; skip counting by 2, 5 and 10 | Array builder with 2, 5 and 10 |
| 3rd | All facts to 10 × 10 by the end of the year (3.OA.C.7); unknown factors | All four, one table at a time, then mixed |
| 4th | Facts to 12 × 12 quickly; multi-digit multiplication | Speed match and Memory pairs with all tables |
| 5th and up | Fluency gaps that slow down fractions and long division | Missing factor with the tables that are still pink on the grid |
Tips for getting the most from multiplication games
- Mix known and new. A round where most facts are known keeps a child motivated. Pick the table being learned plus one or two familiar ones.
- Talk about the misses. After each round, look at the missed facts on the results card. Ask how they could work one out: 7 × 8 is double 7 three times (14, 28, 56).
- Retry missed right away. The Retry missed button replays only the facts your child got wrong. Retrying soon after a mistake, while the right answer is fresh, helps it stick.
- Keep it short. Two or three rounds is plenty. Practice spread across days beats one long session, as Dunlosky and colleagues found in their 2013 review of study techniques.
- Use paper too. A multiplication chart on the wall and a weekly multiplication worksheet reinforce the same facts away from the screen.
What children learn from arrays
Arrays do a lot of teaching quietly. Turn 3 rows of 4 on its side and it's 4 rows of 3, which is why 3 × 4 = 4 × 3 (the commutative property). Split 6 rows of 7 into 5 rows and 1 row and you get 35 + 7 = 42, the distributive property that the times tables game's strategies are built on. Baroody's 2006 article on basic facts argues that children who understand these patterns learn facts faster and forget them less than children who memorize answers one by one.
Ask your child to build 24 every way they can: 1 × 24 won't fit on the board, but 2 × 12 won't either, so they'll find 3 × 8, 4 × 6, 6 × 4 and 8 × 3. That's factor pairs, a 4th grade standard, discovered by playing.
More practice and full programs
For daily, scheduled practice of every fact, use the times tables game, and for flash cards that mix math with reading, try online flashcards. Our guide to teaching multiplication facts lays out a week-by-week plan. Programs such as Prodigy, SplashLearn and Reflex, listed below, add adaptive lessons, rewards and progress reports for parents and teachers; save the ones you're considering to your wishlist to compare them later.
Sources
- Common Core State Standards: Grade 3 Operations and Algebraic Thinking (3.OA.A.1, 3.OA.A.4, 3.OA.C.7)
- What Works Clearinghouse (2021). Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: Intervention in the Elementary Grades
- Baroody, A. J. (2006). Why children have difficulties mastering the basic number combinations and how to help them. Teaching Children Mathematics, 13(1)
- Dunlosky, J., et al. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1)
Questions
Which multiplication game should my child start with?
Children who are new to multiplication should start with Array builder, because it shows what 3 × 4 means: three rows of four. Once the idea is solid, Missing factor and Memory pairs build recall, and Speed match is best for children who already know most facts and want to get faster.
Are these multiplication games really free?
Yes. There are no ads, no account and no in-app purchases. Scores and progress are saved only in your browser.
How is this different from the times tables game?
The times tables game is the daily practice tool: it schedules every fact with spaced repetition and shows a mastery grid. These games are for variety. They use the same facts and update the same grid, so playing them still counts.
Why can more than one answer be right in Array builder?
Half the questions ask for an exact array, like 3 rows of 4. The others ask for any array with a number of dots, like 12, and any factor pair works: 2 × 6, 3 × 4, 4 × 3 or 6 × 2. Finding several is a good way to talk about factors.
Do the games work on a tablet or Chromebook?
Yes. Everything works by touch, mouse or keyboard. Number keys pick choices, arrow keys change the array, and the on-screen number pad replaces the keyboard on tablets.