The Multiplication Sun

🎂 7 + years ⏱️ 15 min 📍 Anywhere ⭐ sporty

Math isn't always easy. All those numbers, up, down, mixed up. But with the Multiplication Sun, calculating suddenly becomes fun. You only need paper, a cereal bowl, and some pens. Draw a circle for the sun, add 12 rays like a clock, label them with the numbers 1 to 12, and write the number you want to practice in the center. For example, 9. Then calculate around: 9×1, 9×2, and so on. Write the results on the rays. This way, you see the whole series at a glance. And your brain remembers the tasks more easily because you drew them yourself. So, if you're ever frustrated because multiplication is hard: Make a sun. Step by step. And feel the knot in your head slowly unravel.

What you'll need

A4 sheets of paper
Pencils, colored pencils, or felt-tip pens
Cereal bowl

How it works

Grab a white sheet of paper and a cereal bowl. Place the bowl upside down on the sheet. Hold it firmly and trace around it with a pen. Now you have a nice round circle: That's your sun.
Now your sun needs rays, exactly twelve. Start at the top (12 o'clock) and work your way around. The rays should be spaced evenly apart.
Write a number in the circle before each ray. At the top, write 12, then around the circle, write 1 to 11. The numbers will help you keep track. And each task gets its proper place on your sun.
Now decide. Which multiplication table do you want to learn? The 3s? The 6s? Or the 9s? Write that number large in the center of the sun. You might also color it or decorate it. That's your sun number.
Now it's time to calculate! Start with 1 and calculate step by step: • 1 × sun number = result • 2 × sun number = result • … Example: If you have 9 in the center. Then calculate: • 1 × 9 = 9 • 2 × 9 = 18, and so on. Write each result on the corresponding ray.
Once all results are on the rays, take a moment to look at your sun. You've worked through all the tasks – great job! Are you interested in practicing other tables too? Then make another sun, with a new number in the center. Maybe soon you'll have your own multiplication collection.