There are lots of great ways to use Multiplication by Heart in the classroom. Here are a few ideas!

1. Form teams of 2 – 4 students. Each student picks five cards at random and quizzes their group mates. The cards they miss go a pile and when everyone is done, the team looks over the “hard” multiplication facts together. What makes those ones hard? How can they remember them?
2. Play WILD SQUARES!

WILD SQUARES

For 2 – 6 players

Play Wild Squares with your Multiplication by Heart array cards.

Take the 100 array cards, shuffle them, and deal five cards to each  player. Place a card with the factors (not the product) face up, and put  the deck beside it.

The goal is to discard all of your cards. Whoever can get rid of all their cards first wins.

Players take turns. On a turn, play a card on top of the discard  pile. To play a card, one of the factors must match the card below it.  For example, if the card on the top of the pile is 4 × 5, then you could  play 7 × 4 on top of it, since the cards share a factor (4).

As you place the card, say the product (“28”) or the equation (“7 × 4  = 28”). If you’ve said the correct product and matched with the card  below, the next player takes their turn. (Or if no one speaks up to  correct you, the next player takes their turn.)

If you said the wrong product (“7 × 4 = 26”) a player challenges you  by saying “correction” and giving the correct product (“7 × 4 = 28”) you  take back your card and they can play ANY card from their hand on top  of the discard pile, even if it doesn’t match the factors of the card  below. Play then continues as normal.

If it’s your turn and you don’t have a card that matches the factors  of the top card on the discard pile, draw cards until you have a legal  play.

If you have a square array in your hand, you can play it on top of  ANY card, without matching factors. (You still have to name the product  correctly to play it.) Then you can discard a second card of your choice  on top of the square.

Example: the card on the top of the pile is 4 × 5. I play 7 × 7,  saying “49.” Since this is a square array, the play is legal. Then I  play 1 x 9 on top of that, saying “9.” Then the next player takes their  turn.