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Factors and Multiples: A Factor Island Adventure

Factors and Multiples: A Factor Island Adventure

Learn factors and multiples, factor pairs and common factors by hopping, planting and building rafts on Factor Island, then solve real puzzles.

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What you'll learn

  • What a multiple is, and how to spot multiples of a number
  • What a factor is and how to find factor pairs
  • How to find all the factor pairs by testing numbers in order
  • How to find the common factors of two numbers
  • When to use factors or multiples in sharing and packing problems
  • What square and cube numbers are, and what 5² and 3³ mean

Chapter by chapter

  1. Multiples: counting in equal jumps Free to try

    Year 5 maths · 1

  2. Factors and factor pairs: making equal rows

    Year 5 maths · 1

  3. Finding all the factor pairs of a number

    Year 5 maths · 1

  4. Common factors of two numbers

    Year 5 maths · 1

  5. Solving problems with factors, multiples, squares and cubes

    Year 5 maths · 2

  6. Lighthouse Quiz: factors and multiples (10 questions)

What the chapters cover in the national curriculum in England:

  1. Year 5 maths: Identify multiples and factors, including finding all factor pairs of a number, and common factors of 2 numbers
  2. Year 5 maths: Solve problems involving multiplication and division, including using their knowledge of factors and multiples, squares and cubes

About this adventure

Factor Island is an interactive factors and multiples game that teaches children aged 8–11 how to spot multiples, find factor pairs and common factors, and use them to solve problems, matching the Year 5 maths curriculum in England.

Players help Jumpy the frog hop in equal jumps, plant seedlings in equal rows and build rafts from square logs. Along the way they learn that a multiple comes from counting in equal steps, while a factor divides a number exactly with nothing left over. A factor pair is two numbers that multiply to make it, such as 3 and 4 for 12.

Pip the puffin narrates every step, with hints after a wrong answer and an optional times-table warm-up. Square and cube numbers join packing and sharing puzzles, and a 10-question quiz checks what has stuck.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between a factor and a multiple?

A factor divides exactly into a number, while a multiple is what you get when you count in equal steps of that number. For example, 3 is a factor of 12, and 12 is a multiple of 3, because 3 × 4 = 12.

How do you find all the factor pairs of a number?

Test whole numbers in order, starting from 1, and write down each pair that multiplies to make the number. Stop when the pairs meet in the middle and start repeating. For 24 the pairs are 1 × 24, 2 × 12, 3 × 8 and 4 × 6.

What are common factors, in simple words?

Common factors are numbers that are factors of two numbers at the same time. List the factors of each number and look for the ones that appear in both lists: the common factors of 12 and 18 are 1, 2, 3 and 6.

What age is this factors and multiples game for?

It is designed for children aged 8 to 11 and matches what pupils learn in Year 5 (ages 9–10) in England. Confident younger learners can use it as a stretch, and Year 6 pupils can use it for revision.

What does the Factor Island game include and how long does it take?

It has five narrated chapters, an optional times-table warm-up and a 10-question quiz, and takes about 45 minutes to play through. Children can pick any chapter from the island map and return to it later.

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