Teaching multiplication in 3rd grade is a big deal…it’s a milestone that 3rd graders look forward to, and it’s downright fun to teach! This is the year students really work on those multiplication facts and start seeing the why behind the numbers. But before we get into flashcards, timed drills, or multiplication charts, we need to build a solid understanding of what multiplication actually means.
So let’s start with the most straight-forward and foundational understanding. Multiplication is just combining equal groups.
If you’re getting ready to introduce multiplication as equal groups in your classroom, I’ve got you covered! Here’s a collection of hands-on, engaging, and fun activities to help your students visualize multiplication as equal groups and deepen their understanding through practice (that feels like play).
1. Start Simple with Color Tiles
Pass out four color tiles to each student and explain, “You each have one group of four.” Write 1 × 4 on the board.
Now have students find a partner and set their tiles side by side—but still in their original groups. “Now you have 2 groups of 4.” Write 2 × 4 on the board and ask how many tiles there are now. Once students answer, finish the multiplication sentence, 2 x 4 = 8.
Continue adding students into the groups to create 3 groups of 4, 4 groups of 4, and 5 groups of 4. Each time, write the matching multiplication sentence and ask students to calculate the total.
Wrap up with a quick class discussion: “What patterns do you notice?” Help them see that adding equal groups again and again is the same as multiplying. Help solidify the new learning by using an anchor chart like this one to help students visualize different ways to represent multiplication as equal groups.
2. Sort & Group with Classroom Supplies
Use what you already have on hand—crayons, glue sticks, paper clips—and give students challenges for multiplication as equal groups like:
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“Make 4 equal groups using these 12 paper clips.”
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“Show me 3 groups of 6 crayons.”
Students can work in pairs or rotate through group stations. They build the groups, write the multiplication sentence, and explain how they know their answer is correct. It’s like a mini math lab right in your classroom! This idea is also handy to keep in mind for transition time fillers. When you’ve got just a couple of minutes before you need to line up for lunch, play this with the materials students have right at their finger tips. If you work it out just right, you could even use this as a clean-up activity….”Can you collect 2 groups of 5 pencils from the floor?”
3. Peek-a-Boo Flaps
For another way to introduce multiplication as equal groups give students a page in their math notebooks and help them glue on small flaps (you can pre-cut these, use sticky notes, or use an interactive notebook design like the one below).
On top of each flap, they’ll write a sentence like: “___ groups of ___” and draw a picture to match. Encourage creativity—maybe it’s 4 bowls of cereal, 5 teams of soccer players, or 3 stacks of pancakes.
Under each flap, they write the multiplication sentence that matches their picture. This doubles as an anchor chart right inside their notebooks!
4. Create Multiplication as Equal Groups Story Mats
Hand out blank “story mats” or create a template with a picture box and a sentence frame: “There are ___ groups of ___.”
Students draw or place stickers showing a real-life scene: 5 lunch trays with 3 cookies each, 4 backpacks with 6 books, etc. Underneath, they complete the sentence and write the multiplication sentence that matches.
Encourage them to share their stories with a partner or small group—math storytelling for the win!
5. Build with Play-Doh or Counters
Pass out Play-Doh or counting manipulatives (mini erasers, teddy bears, unifix cubes—you name it). Call out a multiplication fact, like 3 × 5, and have students model it using their materials.
With Play-Doh, they can roll out little balls or shapes. With counters, they create separate groups right on their desk. Then they write the multiplication sentence that matches what they built. Perfect for helping kinesthetic learners engage with multiplication as equal groups!
6. Matching Game with Equal Groups & Multiplication Sentences
Create a set of cards (or grab the done-for-you set from this downloadable lesson)—half with pictures of equal groups (like 3 circles with 5 stars each) and the other half with multiplication sentences (like 3 × 5).
Play some music and let students roam the room, trading cards with classmates as they walk. When the music stops, students freeze, look at their card, and try to find the match that goes with theirs.
It’s a super interactive way to match visuals with equations—and it gets students moving and having conversations about math, which is always a plus!
7. Human Arrays Activity
Head outside or use an open space and have your students become the models for multiplication as equal groups.
Call out a multiplication sentence like 3 × 4, and have students band together in 3 groups of 4. Then challenge them to switch it to 4 × 3. They’ll quickly start to notice that both look similar but are arranged differently—hello, commutative property! If you want to use this as a sneaky introduction to arrays, just change your wording…instead of saying groups of, use rows of instead.
This is a fun way to reinforce multiplication as equal groups while helping students understand that the order of the factors can change the way the groups are arranged (but not the total number of items).
8. Roll & Group Multiplication Game
In pairs or groups of three, students will need:
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Two dice
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Drawing paper or whiteboards
Each turn, a player rolls the dice. The first number tells how many groups to draw; the second number tells how many items go in each group. After drawing, the player writes the multiplication sentence.
Partners compare products. The player with the greater product circles it. At the end, they add up their circled numbers to see who has the highest total. It’s math fact fluency, meets friendly competition, with a splash of artistic creativity thrown in too! You can play this game easily by explaining the steps and having students use scrap paper for their drawing, but if you want to kick it up a notch just down load a cute, done-for-you version of the game directions and recording sheet along with several other multiplication as equal groups activities in this done for you lesson plan and resources pack.
Introducing multiplication as equal groups should be FUN! Take this chance to let your 3rd graders play with math. With these hands-on activities, your students will explore, discover, and start to see multiplication in action—before they even realize they’re learning their facts.
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