Multiplication.com Review

Do you think teaching multiplication facts is fun?  Are your kids enjoying it?  My guess is probably not. That’s why I was excited to work on the multiplication.com review these last few weeks!

A lot of us were taught with flash cards, and we learned by rote memorization.  It wasn’t fun at all!  I admit that because this is how I learned, it’s how I was teaching my kids as well. Guess what?  WE DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS!

During the time I spent with the multiplication.com review, I really did discover that there is a much better way to teach than what I was doing previously.  It has changed how we do math in our home.  My children enjoyed using the site – they frequently asked to do their multiplication tables!  Yes, they asked!  Now, a few months into the program, my son is proficient – and he still goes to the site in his spare time – when he can choose to do virtually anything he wants.  You can’t beat that.  My daughter is still learning….and finding it a fun experience.   Power struggles have disappeared (no more cajoling the kids to do times worksheets/flashcards/etc.) – and the results are great.  It’s a win/win for everyone.

So, how does it work? During the multiplication.com review, we went through their entire six step process for each fact family, and the steps make total sense and are easy to follow for both mom & child.

The shaded portion in the navigator shows which facts have been mastered.  So it’s easy to see which ones still have to be worked on – and it’s rewarding as more and more boxes get shaded.

My daughter worked on 4 X 5 yesterday.  Here’s the process along with screen shots.

Watch a video – here are two screen shots.

So what’s the story? The 4 doors to the hive are closed and the 5 bees can’t get in.  They keep flying/bumping into the hive, trying to get in, making dents in the hive.  Thus, 4 (closed doors) X 5 (bees) = denty  or twenty.

After the video, my daughter reviewed this math fact with puzzles. The puzzles are fun and reinforce the five/hive image and the “denty” answer.

Some puzzles offer one option when it comes to the degree of difficulty,  others let you choose between easy, medium and hard.  For the jigsaw puzzle, the difference in difficulty has to do with the size and number of the puzzle pieces.

After completing the fun activity, it was time to get back to instruction. But no problem – the instruction is still entertaining….your kids won’t even know it’s a lesson!

The commutative property (4X5 = 5 X 4) is covered in this little video – and my daughter totally understood it.  Yay!

Double yay because she then had the opportunity to play more games!

My daughter played EACH one.  For brevity – here are some screenshots of the penguin game (because everyone likes penguins!) –

With this game, the child gets to choose the level of difficulty (one scoop/ problem per cone for easy, two for medium, and 3 for hard).  The hard version is more visually appealing because the student has the opportunity to choose the overall look of the parlor, as well as the tablecloths – and the penguin’s attire is more elaborate/colorful. In the medium version, the child chooses the overall look of the parlor, but there are no tables or tablecloths.  The penguin is cute – but not as cute as in the hard version. In the easy version, the ice cream parlor is a bit bland.  As a parent, I like that the games encourage and reward kids to choose, or work up to the more difficult levels.

The screen shot below is for medium difficulty.

It was time for the quiz. Even the quiz is fun. (I asked my daughter to purposely miss a few for screen shot purposes).

The website gives you additional teaching tips – which are a plus for sure.

Now that you’ve seen how it works,  you’re probably wondering what it costs. Multiplication.com offers a free account or you can sign up for their premium membership (see below).

Multiplication.com review – Here’s what I liked about this program

• It uses pictures/story memory to teach the multiplication facts – this makes learning “stick”.
• It builds speed and accuracy of multiplication facts – and then maintains it.
• The videos, puzzles, games, are fun. Look at the description of this one – really, who wouldn’t want to play it!?
  • Rooftop Ride – Multiplication Math Game. Description – Have fun practicing the times tables while zipping along the rooftops on your skateboard.  Gather coins while you avoid obstacles.  Be careful of the rooftop chimneys, air conditioners, and patches of oil.  As the game progresses, the levels increase in speed and difficulty.  As you gather coins, you will come across some magic ones that  cause a multiplication problem to pop up and the skate boarder will freeze. To continue, select the correct answer.   Skateboard your way to multiplication mastery!

• The lessons flow nicely/easily/intuitively. I appreciate this – and I think my kids do too.
• It’s self-paced (especially nice when you get into 7’s-9’s multiplication facts.)
• There are lots of onsite teaching tools. These include free resources as well as products for purchase (Memorize in Minutes: The Times Tables & Multiplication in a Flash).

With the premium version, I like all the above, PLUS:

• The program individualizes the teaching sequence for each child – it auto-adjusts to ability.
• The program automatically monitors, tracks, and reports.
• Parents can customize the learning options.
• Your child gets an animated robot that directs her where to go next/what to do next.
• Ads are removed. This makes the pages less distracting, and more visually appealing, as the games, activities and quizzes now show in full screen.
• There’s a multiple player option.
• There are awards and rewards – gotta love that! The system monitors the child’s daily activity and rewards progress and diligence (with trophies and coins that unlock avatar accessories).
• The price is right and membership is good for up the THREE kids.

I asked my kids what they like about the multiplication.com review that they did and here is their responses: the “GAMES”, the “REWARDS”, and it’s “SUPER FUN!”

If you have a chance to try out multiplication.com, I highly recommend it. Try out the free version, and if your kids are having a blast, like mine did, I recommend paying for the premium model. The extra bonuses are worth it.

Did you like the multiplication.com review? You can view more of our reviews here: https://howtohomeschool.com/curriculum-reviews