Mathematical Game For Timestable Practice

Since the early days of studying for my B.Ed I have been interested in trying to make maths fun. My dissertation was about the role of games to teach maths. I have found this to be a really useful tool, especially for students that struggle with maths.

'Bottletop' is a fun game that can really help students that find learning their timestables difficult. It is played with students standing in a circle and counting up in ones - One, Two, Three, Four etc.

For each round the teacher chooses a number and its multiple to be replaced by the word Bottle or Top. For example multiples of 3 could be replaced by the word Bottle. Multiples of four by the word Top. Going round the group the students in turn count - One, Two, Bottle, Top, Five, Bottle, Seven, Top, Bottle, Ten, Eleven,,,, with the number Twelve (as multiple of 3 and 4) being replaced by the word 'Bottletop'. When a student makes an error they sit down and the counting begins again from One. The game continues until after often an exciting dual only one person remains standing.

The game helps learning due to the repetition. It camouflages the fact that the students are basically revisiting the timetables that they may have found difficult and boring throughout their primary years. It can combine multiples of any 2 numbers and help students see patterns - what happens if both numbers are even? If the second number is a multiple of the first e.g. 3 and 6? The game can be made more difficult by having the multiples of 3 numbers eg Black Bottle Top.

For homework you can get the student to take the game home and practise with their family. Encourage them to find other 2 or 3 groups of words that make sense in the various combinations eg Red Letterbox - Red, Letter, Box, Red Letter, Red Box so not only improving their maths but also how some words can be both nouns and adjectives and how the word order can change meaning for example the difference between Boathouse and Houseboat!