By teaching your students a series of rhymes for the 3s times table, you help them to latch on to a mnemonic device that teaches them to retain and quickly memorize the information. One example to help students memorize 3 x 8 = 24 is to repeat, "A tree on skates fell on the floor, three times eight is twenty-four." Once your students have memorized all of these rhymes, you can test each student by starting the rhyme and asking them to finish it for you.
Provide each student with an egg carton and a large pile of beads. Explain to your students that it is easier to think of the "x" symbol as standing for the phrase "groups of." Write an equation on the board, such as 3 x 4. Ask them to solve the problem by placing the correct number of beads in each section of the egg carton. For the example above, that would mean putting 3 beads into 4 separate containers.
Have the students place their desks in a circle. Providing a set of jumbo flash cards for the 3s times tables, present one student who is standing by the desk of another student with a card. The student who says the correct answer first moves on to the next seated student, and the other students takes the empty seat. The winner is the first student who can make it all the way around the circle of desks. Give the student a sticker, candy, or a small toy to encourage their continued good work. Jumbo flash cards can be purchased at educational or teacher supply stores in your area.
Provide your students with bingo cards that all have squares that feature answers for 3 x 0 through 3 x 24 (or use various answers for the 1s, 2s, and 3s times tables). Provide the students with plastic markers or beads to mark each square as it is called out. To play, you call out a problem like "3 x 5," and the students then mark the square where they have a 15. The first student to correctly get five numbers in a row across, vertically or diagonally, wins.