Multiplication properties worksheets
Naming the commutative, associative, distributive, identity and zero properties, filling in missing numbers, and using the properties to multiply the easy way.
Download the free multiplication properties worksheet (PDF)
Multiplication properties worksheet
What’s on the worksheet
- 24 questions on multiplication properties, sized for US Letter paper
- 2 pages of questions plus an answer key on the last page
- Written for grade 3, matching Common Core 3.OA.B.5
- Name and date lines at the top, and room to show the work
Sample questions from this worksheet
- 4 × 12 = 4 × 10 + 4 × 2 B. Fill in the missing number.
- 8 × 7 (split 7 into 5 + 2)
- 6 × 9 (split 9 into 5 + 4)
- 7 × 12 (split 12 into 10 + 2)
- 13 × 4 (split 13 into 10 + 3)
Practice multiplication properties online
Between worksheets, a few minutes on screen keeps the skill fresh:
- properties lesson: an array splitter and a quiz.
- multiplication strategies: the properties used to work out facts.
- × 0 and × 1: the two easiest rules.
The properties are most useful as tricks, not as names. After the sheet, ask your child to use the splitting rule on a hard fact like 7 × 8.
Talking about the properties
Ask your child to explain each rule in their own words before naming it. The turn-around rule, the grouping rule and the splitting rule are easier to remember than commutative, associative and distributive. Then use them: what is the easy way to do 5 × 7 × 2? Turn it to 5 × 2 × 7, which is 10 × 7 = 70. Asking “which rule makes this easier?” before any calculation is a habit that pays off all the way to algebra.
Preview the worksheet and answer key
Multiplication properties: a worked example (6 × 7 using the splitting rule)
- Split 7 into 5 + 2.
- 6 × 5 = 30 and 6 × 2 = 12.
- 30 + 12 = 42, so 6 × 7 = 42.
How to use it at home and in class
At home
Let your child explain each property in their own words: turn-around, grouping, splitting, times 1, times 0. Ten problems a day works better than a whole sheet at once. Mark them together with the answer key, then ask your child to explain one they got wrong: finding the mistake themselves is where the learning happens.
In class
Use the first row as a warm-up, a full page for independent practice, or five questions as an exit ticket. For a retake or a second group, make a new version with the test maker so every child gets different numbers.
Mistakes to watch for
- Thinking subtraction and division can be turned around too.
- Splitting a factor but multiplying only one part.
What to practice before and after multiplication properties
- Before: multiplication word problems. If this sheet is a struggle, go back a step.
- After: lattice multiplication, once this one is mostly right.
- Learn it first: the multiplication properties lesson.
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Questions parents ask
What are the properties of multiplication for grade 3?
Commutative (4 × 7 = 7 × 4), associative ((2 × 5) × 6 = 2 × (5 × 6)), distributive (6 × 7 = 6 × 5 + 6 × 2), identity (× 1) and zero (× 0).
What grade is this multiplication properties worksheet for?
It is written for grade 3 and matches Common Core standard 3.OA.B.5.
Can I get a different version of this multiplication properties worksheet?
Yes. Use the free Mathify Kids test maker to make a new multiplication properties worksheet with different numbers every time. You choose how many questions, and every version comes with its own answer key.