Multiplication Squares is a 2–4 player math game built on the dots-and-boxes format. Players take turns rolling dice, multiplying the two numbers, and claiming squares on a number grid. Most squares at the end wins.

It runs in a browser at m-squares.anoya.ca. No printing, no account, nothing to install.

What you need

A device with a browser. That's it. The dice are built into the game.

Setup

When you open the game, you enter a name and pick a colour for each player. You also choose the board size — smaller for students still building their facts, larger for students who are further along. Once everyone has a name and colour, you're playing.

The rules

1. The current player rolls.

The dice roll automatically. Whatever two numbers come up are the ones you multiply.

2. Multiply them.

Roll a 4 and a 3, your product is 12. That's the number you're looking for on the board.

3. Draw a line on one side of a matching square.

Find any square on the board showing your product and draw a line on one of its open sides. You can pick any available side on any matching square.

4. Check if you closed a square.

If your line sealed off all four sides, that square is yours. It fills with your colour and you score a point.

5. No move available? Skip.

If every square showing your product already has all four sides drawn, your turn is skipped. This happens a lot near the end.

6. Play until the board is done.

When no player has a legal move left, the game ends. Most captured squares wins. Score is tracked automatically.

Classroom tips

Don't over-explain before they play. The game teaches itself within the first two or three turns. A long pre-game explanation kills the curiosity before it starts.

Board size matters more than grade level. A Grade 4 class grinding through 6s and 7s might do better on a smaller board than a Grade 2 class that's been practicing all year. Match it to where your students actually are.

Use it for the last 10–15 minutes. Students finish fast enough that you can get two or three rounds into a short window. It fills time without feeling like filler.

Project it for a whole-class game. Two teams, one device on the projector. Students take turns coming up to make the move for their team. Works well as a Friday wind-down.

They will ask to play again. This is actually useful. A rematch is more multiplication practice than most worksheets get done in the same time, and nobody's noticing.

Open the game — no account, no download, free for classrooms.