Activity 1 – Sports Day.
Resources – pencil and paper
Focus – I can make equal groups and can combine them to make a larger number.
Try to find as many different solutions as you can to this sports day problem:
There are ____ teams. Each team has ____ children. This makes ____ children altogether.
With a family partner fill in the blanks with numbers to make the statement true for as many different sports as you can.
Activity 2 – Sort It.
Focus – I can take a larger number and share it into equal groups.
Resources – pencil, paper (folded in to 4 or 8 sections) and 20 small household items
Collect 20 small items, such as coins, sweets, grapes and share them equally onto the folded paper. Repeat this several times for other numbers, e.g. 16 and 24. Talk together about anything you have noticed.
Activity 3 – How Many?
Focus – I can split a group of items into smaller equal groups.
Resources – pencil, paper and 10-30 small household items.
Collect between 10 and 30 small items at home to sort into equal groups. For each size of group, write down the total number of items (e.g. 22), the group size (e.g. 3, 4, 5 or 6), the number of groups that can be made and the number left over, e.g. ‘22 is 7 groups of 3 with 1 left over’.
Activity 4 – Add and Multiply.
Focus – I can display equal groups in different ways and can write number sentences about them.
Resources – pencil and paper
Find packets in cupboards at home that contain more than one of the same item, e.g. 8 cheese triangles, 4 tins of beans, 8 bars. Write down how many of each would be in several of these packets, showing this as an addition and as a multiplication, e.g. 4 packets of 8 chocolate bars = 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 4 × 8 = 32.
Activity 5 – Legs!
Focus – I can display equal groups in different ways and can write number sentences about them.
Resources – pencil and paper
Count the number of legs of each of the things below in your home and record each as a number sentence:
• legs of tables in my home, e.g. 3 × 4 = 12 (3 tables with 4 legs = 12 legs)
• legs of people in my home
• legs of cats, dogs or other 4-legged animals, in my home.
Activity 6 – Number Stories.
Focus – I have explored how times-tables are built up and can discuss the patterns within and between them – 2, 4 and 8.
Resources – pencil and paper
Make up stories for facts from the times-tables that you know, e.g. 8 friends each had 4 sweets, making 32 altogether for the fact 8 × 4 = 32. Share your facts with another family member.
Activity 7 – Double, Double, Double.
Focus – I have explored how times-tables are built up and can discuss the patterns within and between them – 2, 4 and 8.
Resources – pencil and paper
Write a fact from the 2 times-table, e.g. 5 × 2 = 10. Beneath this write the related fact from
the 4 times-table, i.e. 5 × 4 = 20, and then the related fact from the 8-times-table, i.e. 5 × 8 = 40 to form a set of three facts. Talk about any patterns you notice. Now write two more sets of three facts using a different starting fact each time.
Activity 8 – Coin Counting.
Focus – I have explored how times-tables are built up and can discuss the patterns within and between them – 10 and 5.
Resources – pencil and paper
Copy and continue the following patterns in two columns and note any patterns you see between the numbers in the two columns.
One 5p coin = 5p One 10p coin = 10p T
Two 5p coins = 10p Two 10p coins = 20p
Three 5p coins = …
Activity 9 – Add the Digits.
Focus – I have explored how times-tables are built up and can discuss the patterns within and between them – 3, 6 and 9.
Resources – pencil and paper
Investigate adding the digits of the answers to the 9 times-table and record your findings,
e.g. 1 × 9 = 9 → 9
2 × 9 = 18 → 1 + 8 = 9
3 × 9 = 27 → 2 + 7 = 9
Activity 10 – Phoney Phone.
Focus – I have explored how times-tables are built up and can discuss the patterns within and between them – 3, 6 and 9.
Resources – pencil, paper and phone
Look at the arrangement of numbers on a phone (or a remote control). Copy the arrangement of the display, but instead of writing the digits 0 to 9, multiply each digit by 3, e.g. the display would show 3, 6, 9, 12, etc. Write notes about any patterns you see, e.g. that multiples of 9 form a line on the display.
Activity 11 – Join the Dots.
Focus – I can recall my table facts quickly and accurately – 2, 4 and 8.
Resources – pencil, pen, rubber, paper
Make a simple join-the-dots puzzle using answers to a chosen times-table in order by drawing a simple outline of a shape or picture lightly in pencil. Then, using a pen, write numbers in order. Finally, the shape is rubbed out to leave a puzzle for a family member to do.
Activity 12 – Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
Focus – I can recall my table facts quickly and accurately – 3, 6 and 9.
Resources – pencil and paper
With a partner (or more) each person makes up several ‘Who wants to be a millionaire?’ questions using the facts from the 3, 6 and 9 times-tables. Make up four answers for each question, A, B, C and D, only one of which is correct. The questions can be used as a quiz at home and also bring them in to school to try with friends.
Activity 13 – Hand Game (for 2 players).
Focus – I can recall my table facts quickly and accurately – 3, 6 and 9.
Choose a table to practise, e.g. 3, 6 or 9. In the count of 3, both players hold out a hand with between 1 and 5 fingers out (so there will be 2–10 fingers in total). They multiply this by the chosen table number. The first to call out the correct answer scores a point. The winner is the first to 10 points.
Activity 14 – Shape Trail.
Focus – I can multiply and divide by 10 and 100.
Resources – pencil and paper
Use this following code:
♥ = × 10, ♦ = × 100, ♣ = ÷ 10, ♠ = ÷ 100.
Write several trails of numbers with these codes from any starting number, like this:
6 ♦ 600 ♣ 60 ♣ 6 ♦ 600
Activity 15 – Vet Problems.
Focus – I can use my table facts and a variety of mental methods to work out multiplication calculations – 2-digit numbers multiplied by 1-digit numbers.
Resources – pencil and paper
Write prescriptions for pet pills and say how many pills are needed, e.g. A dog needs 5 pills for 21 days – this is 105 pills or A rabbit needs 4 pills for 32 days – this is 128 pills. Show your working.
