Learn Multiplication in the Toy Shop!

Welcome to the Toy Shop! This fun and interactive game is designed to introduce young learners to the concept of multiplication in a way that’s easy to understand. By using arrays of toys on a shelf, children can visually see how multiplication is just a faster way of doing repeated addition.

The game is played in two parts. First, work out how many toys there are altogether by writing the correct multiplication sentence. Then, use your times table knowledge to work out the cost of a single row of toys. It’s a great way to connect arrays to real-world money problems!

Why is This Game Great for Learning?

This game builds a strong foundation for multiplication by helping children to:

• Understand Arrays: It shows clearly how rows and columns create a group, helping children to visualize the “lots of” concept in multiplication.
• Connect Multiplication to Repeated Addition: Seeing 3 rows of 5 toys helps them understand that 5 + 5 + 5 is the same as 3 x 5.
• Practice Key Times Tables: The game is specifically designed to focus on the 2, 5, and 10 times tables, which are the core building blocks for Key Stage 1.

For Teachers and Parents: Meeting Key Stage 1 Objectives

This “Toy Shop Tills” game is an ideal resource for supporting children in Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2) and aligns perfectly with the National Curriculum for maths.

• Year 1: The curriculum requires pupils to “solve one-step problems involving multiplication and division, by calculating the answer using concrete objects, pictorial representations and arrays with the support of the teacher.” This game provides the perfect pictorial representation and array structure to support this early learning.
• Year 2: The game directly supports the objective to “recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 2, 5 and 10 multiplication tables” and to “show that multiplication of two numbers can be done in any order (commutative).” By asking for the full multiplication sentence, it reinforces their times table knowledge and helps them see that, for example, 2 rows of 5 is the same as 5 rows of 2.

It’s a perfect activity for a lesson starter, an interactive whiteboard problem, or for some fun, effective practice at home.