Arrays and the Commutative Property of Multiplication

The Commutative Property of Multiplication (sometimes called the Law of Order with younger kids) states that you can reverse the FACTORS in multiplication and still get the same PRODUCT.

Example: 

5 rows (or groups) of 2  =  2 rows (or groups) of 5

A fun way for kids to illustrate and prove this Math Property is to let the kids use manipulatives (including some edibles) and make some ARRAYS.

Pennies: 5x2 = 2x5

  Smarties (candy): 5x2 = 2x5

Paper Butterflies: 5x2 = 2x5

Butterfly Punch

Other inexpensive manipulatives that you could use would be Unifix Cubes, erasers, paper clips, jelly beans, m&m's, or Cheerios.

After using the manipulatives, students could use their art supplies to draw and label other math equations that illustrate the Commutative Property of Multiplication.

  Have fun with math!