Mon Prof Augmenté
Four Boxes of Three Crayons
Age 7 Maths
Four boxes stand side by side, and each one holds the same three crayons: a red one, a blue one and a yellow one. Instead of counting every crayon one by one, you can add the equal groups: 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 12. Adding the same number four times is exactly what four times three means, and 4 × 3 = 12. When all the groups are the same size, multiplying is just a fast way of counting.
Examples
- At snack time you put three strawberries on each of the four plates: that makes 4 × 3 = 12 strawberries.
- At a birthday party four friends each hold three balloons, so there are 12 balloons altogether.
Key takeaways
- Four equal groups of three is 3 + 3 + 3 + 3, which is 4 × 3.
- 4 × 3 = 12.