For parents
First multiplication: make equal groups with blocks
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Before practising times tables, show what equal groups look like. Three garages with three cars in each give a concrete story for 3 × 3 = 9. This activity introduces multiplication of small whole numbers by counting equal groups.
Prepare blocks and spaces for groups
Gather 12 large, age-appropriate blocks and four sheets of paper. Begin with only three sheets and nine blocks; put the rest aside. The paper marks each group, so colours and gaps do not decide how many objects it contains. If counting nine is still difficult, start with two groups of two and return to the larger example later.
Build three groups of three
Place three sheets next to one another and put exactly three blocks on each. Ask separately, “How many groups?” and “How many blocks in each group?” Let your child point to what they are counting: first whole sheets, then the blocks on one sheet. Check all three groups to make sure they have the same number. Finally count all nine blocks, touching each once.
Connect addition to multiplication
Point to the first, second and third sheet as you write 3 + 3 + 3 = 9. The same arrangement can be written as 3 × 3 = 9: three groups of three. The × symbol means multiplication; it does not mean adding only two threes. Ask your child to show where each three in the addition appears. The NCETM resource below connects equal groups with addition and multiplication. Here we use that model for simple problems with whole objects.
Play the matching garages game
The sheets become garages and the blocks become cars. Every garage gets the same number of cars. Your child builds three garages with three cars each and explains how many cars there are altogether. Next, change either the number of garages or the cars in each, one thing at a time. Swap roles: your child requests an arrangement and you build it. Before finding the total, check that every garage contains an equal number.
Four problems with explained answers
Two groups of three: 3 + 3 = 6, so 2 × 3 = 6; count both threes. Four groups of two: 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 8, so 4 × 2 = 8; point to four separate sheets. One group of four: 1 × 4 = 4, because there is only one four. Three groups of zero: 0 + 0 + 0 = 0, so 3 × 0 = 0; three empty sheets contain no blocks. In these expressions the first factor is the number of groups. Let your child build each problem before revealing its answer.
Help with common mix-ups
An answer of “three” may mean your child counted garages instead of all the cars. Ask them to show what there are three of, then count the cars. If they write 3 + 3, match one addend to each of the three sheets. Groups containing 3, 3 and 2 are not three groups of three: they contain eight blocks. Count that arrangement by addition or add the missing block, but do not label it 3 × 3. Keep touching and moving the objects if mental counting is not yet comfortable.
Make a new example and keep practising
Finish by letting your child choose their own equal groups while you write a matching calculation. Ask what happens when one whole group is added: with groups of three, the total increases by three, not one. Stop when the game feels tiring. A parent can later choose the multiplication book in Otto Math on iPhone or iPad. The first five routes in each book are free; further routes require Otto Plus. Playing with real blocks works as a complete activity on its own.