Description
How it works
The first player sets both paper clips on factors below the table and claims the matching product. From then on each player may move only one clip per turn, claiming whatever new product results. The goal is four in a row — or stopping your opponent getting there. Because you can move just one clip, every turn is a compromise between the square you want and the square you are handing your opponent. Children play this far longer than they will ever do a worksheet.
What you’ll need
- The printable Product Game board with factor strip
- Two paper clips
- Counters in two colours
Skills practiced
Multiplication facts to 9×9, working from a product back to its factors, and two-step strategic thinking.
Grade level
3rd through 6th grade. Play in teams, or change the goal to a 2×2 square instead of four in a row.
Instant PDF download. Game instructions and printable board adapted from the ideas in Math Fact Fluency by Jennifer Bay-Williams and Gina Kling (ASCD / NCTM, 2019).
