Grade 3 multiplication word problems: how to help your child

Many children who know their facts still struggle with word problems. The maths is not the hard part. The hard part is working out what the story is asking.

A simple routine

1. Read the problem out loud, twice.
2. Ask: what is the question? Underline it.
3. Ask: are there equal groups? How many groups, and how many in each?
4. Draw a quick picture or array.
5. Write the number sentence and solve it.
6. Answer in a full sentence with a unit: "There are 18 apples."

Words that suggest multiplication

Phrases like "each", "every", "rows of", "groups of" and "per" often signal equal groups. But do not teach keywords as rules: "each" can also appear in addition and division problems. Drawing the problem is more reliable.

Problems to try

• A class has 4 tables. There are 6 children at each table. How many children are there?
• Sam buys 3 packs of stickers. Each pack has 8 stickers. How many stickers does Sam have?
• A garden has 5 rows of carrots with 7 carrots in each row. How many carrots are there?