Max Maths, Year 2, Try it, Multiplying by 5 and 10 (1)

In this activity from the Max Maths Year 2 curriculum, students are encouraged to practice their multiplication skills, specifically focusing on multiplying by 5 and 10. The task begins with a simple question that asks, "How many fingers are there?" This practical and relatable scenario provides an excellent opportunity for young learners to apply their counting skills in a real-world context. To find the answer, students are instructed to count in 5s, which helps reinforce the concept of skip counting—a fundamental skill that underpins multiplication.

Once students have counted the fingers, they are prompted to express their counting as a multiplication sentence. This step is crucial as it bridges the gap between counting and understanding multiplication as repeated addition. The multiplication sentence has two blank spaces for the students to fill in: one for the number of groups of fingers (typically the number of hands) and the other for the number of fingers in each group (usually 5). After completing the multiplication sentence, students will reveal the total number of fingers. This exercise not only strengthens their multiplication skills but also aids in their comprehension of how multiplication can be used as a quick and efficient method for finding totals in groups of 5 and 10.