"Flip Up" is a multiplication game that can be adapted to any number of players. The players pair off, with each pair using a deck of cards with the jokers and face cards removed. One player deals all the cards faced down. To play the game, each player flips over one card from her pile. The players multiply the two numbers showing on the cards. The first player to answer correctly collects the flipped-over cards. The opponent collects the cards if the player calls out the wrong answer. The game ends after flipping all the cards. The player with the most cards is the winner. When playing with several teams, as in a classroom, the winners can then play against each other.
"Dots" is a dice game that helps children understand the multiplication concept. Each team consists of two to four players and will use one dice, paper or chalkboard and a pencil or chalk. The first player of the team rolls the dice and then draws a big circle for each dot on the dice. The player rolls the dice again and draws a dot inside each circle for each dot on the dice. For example, if the first roll revealed a 2 and then rolled a 6, the player would draw two large circles and then draw six dots inside each of the circles, to represent two groups of six. The player then writes a multiplication equation to mimic the drawing (2 x 6 = 12), in which the answer is the player's score for the first round. The play continues with the next player. Each player plays five rounds and then totals all the dots. The winner is the player with the most dots.
"Tag Team" is a game that can be enjoyed with a larger group. The group forms two teams, lining up one player behind another. They will be in line approximately 10 feet from their team's stack of multiplication flash cards. The first player of each team runs to the stack of flash cards, picks up the top card and announces the answer to the multiplication question. With a correct answer, the player discards the card, and runs back to tag the next player in line to start his turn. If the answer is incorrect or unknown, the player puts the top card on the bottom and picks the next card and tries to answer that. The winning team is the first team to correctly answer all the multiplication facts in their pile.
To play "Multiplication Bingo," every player draws a Bingo board and then fills the boxes with numbers of their choice from a predetermined number series. A Bingo caller turns over a multiplication flash card and reads the problem aloud. The students mark their cards if they have the correct product. The game ends when a player gets a Bingo.