In many math classes children do not begin multiplying numbers until third grade, but in CGI classes children are solving problems involving multiplication early in the primary grades. Even though children are working with multiplication problems it is important to recognize that young children's understanding of multiplication is different than that of older children and adults, just like their understanding of addition and subtraction is different. Situations involving multiplication often include groups of things, like 3 bags of 5 candies. This group structure helps children reason about multiplication problems using many of the same strategies employed for addition and subtraction problems.
Multiplication is used in many different problem situations.
When we use maps, we often measure on a scale. Measurement of area is a good way to expand your child's ideas about multiplication. For example, in one of the previous newsletters, you may have worked with your child to measure the area of your kitchen floor. In the figure at right, a kitchen is 9 tiles wide and 17 tiles long. For this problem, some children may think about 17 groups of 9 while others may think of 9 groups of 17.