Ask a room full of grade 3 and 4 teachers what their students are stuck on, and times tables come up every single time. It’s one of the most requested topics from our listener surveys, so we knew it was time to sit down and talk about it (again!).
In this episode we’re sharing the simple, low-prep games we actually love for building multiplication fact fluency, the kind you can slot into ten minutes a day without piling more onto your plate. We also get honest about our own tricky facts (sevens were Ash’s nemesis, and eight times eight still trips Alisha up), because fluency was never about being perfect. It’s about practice that sticks. If your students freeze the second they have to recall a fact, this one’s for you.
In this episode, we cover:
- Why ten minutes of daily practice beats the occasional big push, and how habit stacking makes it stick
- Flip It and Times It, our card game for targeting specific times tables
- Spin and Multiply, a game that differentiates in seconds so every student practises at their own level
- Dots and Boxes, a strategy favourite that builds mathematical thinking, sportsmanship and social skills
- Chatterbox / fortune tellers that are self-correcting, fun to make, and easy to send home
- Speedy Numbers, a timed activity for building automaticity and tracking personal progress
- A little sneak peek at what’s coming next (hello, division)
Don't forget this is just the beginning… We are working on our multiplication and division fluency pathway. Join the waitlist if you want a hassle-free, done-for-you programme that will get your students automatic in their multiplication and division recall.
Rainbows ahead,
Alisha and Ashleigh
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Resources mentioned in this episode:
Flip It and Times It, free version is linked here
Spin and Multiply
Dots and Boxes
Multiplication Chatterboxes
Speedy Numbers - Multiplication
Our new multiplication fluency program - JOIN THE WAITLIST HERE
About Rainbow Sky Creations
Ashleigh Smith and Alisha Hughes are experienced primary educators and the co-founders of Rainbow Sky Creations. With more than 30 years of combined classroom experience teaching in Australia and internationally, they create practical, engaging resources that help primary teachers save time and make learning meaningful and fun. Together, they also host the Rainbow Skies for Teachers podcast, sharing classroom ideas, teacher tips and real-world strategies with educators around the world. Connect with us on Instagram or LinkedIn.
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