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Short Multiplication: Run the Times Factory with Bolt

Short Multiplication: Run the Times Factory with Bolt

Learn short multiplication, the distributive law, scaling and combination problems by helping Bolt the robot fill orders in the Times Factory.

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What you'll learn

  • Multiply two- and three-digit numbers by one digit using short multiplication
  • Write the ones digit and carry the tens to the next column
  • Use the distributive law: split into tens and ones, multiply, then add
  • Solve 'times as many' scaling problems using bar models
  • Solve two-step problems by multiplying first, then adding the extras
  • Count combinations in correspondence problems by multiplying, not adding

Chapter by chapter

  1. Split it up: the distributive law for 2-digit × 1-digit Free to try

    Year 4 maths · 1

  2. Formal written method: 2-digit × 1-digit (short multiplication)

    Year 4 maths · 2

  3. Formal written method: 3-digit × 1-digit (short multiplication)

    Year 4 maths · 2

  4. Scaling problems: 'times as many', then multiply and add

    Year 4 maths · 1

  5. Correspondence problems: n objects connected to m objects

    Year 4 maths · 1

  6. Factory Boss Challenge: mixed multiplication problems (10 questions)

What the chapters cover in the national curriculum in England:

  1. Year 4 maths: Solve problems involving multiplying and adding, including using the distributive law to multiply two-digit numbers by 1 digit, integer scaling problems and harder correspondence problems such as n objects are connected to m objects
  2. Year 4 maths: Multiply two-digit and three-digit numbers by a one-digit number using formal written layout

About this adventure

Short Multiplication: Run the Times Factory is an interactive maths game that teaches children aged 8–10 to multiply two- and three-digit numbers by a one-digit number using the formal written method, matching Year 4 of the national curriculum in England. Players help Bolt the robot fill factory orders. They type answers on a number pad and get hints aimed at common slips, such as forgetting to add a carried digit.

Along the way they meet the distributive law: splitting 23 into 20 and 3, multiplying each part, then adding. They then see that short multiplication is the same idea written in tidy columns. Bar models help with 'times as many' scaling problems. Correspondence problems show that when every hat goes with every scarf, you multiply to count the outfits. Spoken narration reads every instruction aloud.

Questions and answers

How do you do short multiplication, in simple words?

Short multiplication means writing the numbers in columns and multiplying one digit at a time, starting with the ones. If a column makes ten or more, write the ones digit and carry the tens digit to the next column, adding it after you multiply.

What is the distributive law in Year 4 maths?

The distributive law means you can split a number into parts, multiply each part, then add the answers together. For example, 23 × 4 is the same as 20 × 4 plus 3 × 4, which is 80 + 12 = 92.

What is a correspondence problem in maths?

A correspondence problem asks how many combinations you can make when every item in one group can go with every item in another. With 3 hats and 4 scarves there are 3 × 4 = 12 different outfits, not 3 + 4.

What age is this short multiplication game for?

The game is designed for children aged 8 to 10. It follows the Year 4 maths curriculum in England (KS2) and also works well as revision for children in Year 5 who need more practice with carrying.

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

The game has five chapters and a 10-question Factory Boss Challenge, and takes about an hour to play in full. Each chapter has an animated introduction, hands-on activities, typed answers with hints and an animated recap, and the first two chapters offer an optional warm-up.

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