There are so many great ways to teach multi digit multiplication now!  I remember being in school “way back when” and we learned one way, the only way, the standard algorithm.  Now there are many other models for kids to work with, and most of them help build an understanding of mathematical relationships between numbers.  Two methods I find to be helpful are the “Box Method” and the “Partial Products Method.”  Eventually students move on to the standard algorithm (“old school”) and the partial products/box methods help them to understand the steps!

I will start with the box method because I like it the best!  Basically, you are using a box to keep track of partial products.

It is especially helpful with 2 digit by 2 digit numbers:

Don’t want to draw boxes?  Well, that is ok!  You can still use partial products to multiply:

A few years back when we started teaching these methods to our students in 3rd – 5th grade I was a little worried it was too many steps or would be confusing, but the students really took well to it and it helped them understand the process of multiplying larger numbers!

If you are looking to save time, I have a resource in my TpT store with notes and practice for teaching partial products with and without boxes!