Spiral! - Our new favourite multiplication game!

We have been working on multiplication strategies in our class lately, and have placed a big priority on learning our basic facts. One fun way to practice these facts is a new game that we have started playing, called Spiral!

The game is simple: Set up the cards in a spiral arrangement and start in the middle. When it is their turn, the students roll a die and move their game piece the correct number of spaces (or cards). When they get there, they have to multiply the number on the die by the number on the card. If they get the answer correct, they can stay there until their next turn. If they get the answer wrong, however, they have to return to the card they came from. The first player to get to the end of the spiral is the winner.

There are a few ways to alter this game. We like to use a 9-sided die so that we can practice with all facts from 1-9. A 6-sided die is fine too if that is all you have. We like to take out the face cards, but you could easily leave them in and assign values to each (Jacks = 11, Queens = 12, Kings = 13). We are not ready for these facts yet, but may add them in at some point.

Have fun practicing those multiplication facts!