The Difference Between Factors and Multiples

Keystage 1

August 11, 2025•1 min read

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

FACTORS AND MULTIPLES

Factors and Multiples

Factors and multiples cause a lot of confusion throughout primary school. This is how it works…

Factors are the numbers you times together, while the multiple is the answer.

So the factors of 6 would be: 1, 2, 3 , 6 (these times together to make 6)

1 x 6 = 6

2 x 3 = 6

3 x 2 = 6

6 x 1 = 6

So one of the multiples of 2, is 6 (groups of 2 make 6)

a multiple of 3, is also 6 (groups of 3 make 6)

so a multiple is a group of.

Other multiples of 2 include: 4,8,10,12,14…… and so on.

These are groups of 2 or multiples of 2.

Other multiples of 3 include: 9,12,14,16…. and so on

These are groups of 3 or multiples of 3.

Test their skills by using the following worksheet.

Download it for free here

Multiples of 10

If your child is advanced and working at a greater depth of understanding in Maths, they could venture forwards and learn other multiples. For example: multiples of 10

10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 - Find the multiples of other numbers in the times tables

Why not try these online games

Sabina Bashir

Sabina Bashir is The Student Success Accelerator, teacher, tutor, mindset mentor and mum of three who’s spent more than 25 years in the classrooms and living rooms where childhood truly happens. As the founder of TheParentTeacher.co.uk, she’s on a mission to fix the thing no one talks about enough: the huge disconnect between home and school that leaves parents overwhelmed, teachers exhausted and children caught in the middle. Blending real-life parenting experience with decades of teaching and child development expertise, Sabina creates practical, compassionate tools that help adults raise children who are not just academically capable—but emotionally strong, self-aware, and mentally resilient. What drives her work? Her own family’s journey, the countless children she’s taught, and the belief that when parents and teachers work together, everything changes for a child. Through her writing, programs and mindset coaching, Sabina empowers parents and educators to understand behaviour, communicate with empathy, and build the emotional foundations children need to thrive. Her mission is simple and bold: Raise strong minds. Open hearts. And rebuild the bridge between home and school—one child, one family, and one classroom at a time.

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