How to learn the times tables: tricks that actually work

01Why the times tables matter so much

Knowing the multiplication facts by heart frees a child's attention for harder things. Fractions, division, percentages, area and algebra all lean on quick multiplication. A child who has to work out 7 × 8 every time uses up the mental space they need to understand the new idea in front of them.

Many school systems expect the tables by the end of primary school. In England, for example, pupils take a short multiplication tables check in Year 4 with 25 questions and a few seconds for each, covering tables up to 12 × 12. Other countries have similar expectations in the third or fourth year of school. The goal is the same everywhere: recall that is accurate and fast enough that it feels automatic.

The good news is that the job is much smaller than it looks. This guide shows you how to shrink it, which tricks work for which table, and how to practise so that facts stay learnt. You can follow along with the free Times Tables game, which applies the same ideas.

02Learn half the table, not all of it

The first discovery that helps every child is that multiplication works the same in either order. 3 × 7 and 7 × 3 are both 21. That means the 12 × 12 grid of 144 facts is really a grid with a mirror line down the middle, and you only need to learn one side of it.

Take away the ones, tens and twos that most children already know, and the number of really new facts drops to a few dozen. If you only count facts with both numbers between 2 and 12, there are 66 different ones, and the 2s, 5s, 10s and 11s are easy patterns that cover many of them. What is left are the stubborn ones, mostly between the 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 tables.

In the game, facts are sometimes shown the other way round (8 × 7 instead of 7 × 8) to build this habit. When a child says I know 7 × 8, ask whether they also know 8 × 7. The answer should be yes, and the realisation is a small victory.

03The best order to learn the tables

Do not learn the tables in numerical order. Learn them in order of difficulty, so that each new table is built on ones the child already owns. A sequence that works in most classrooms:

• 10s, 2s and 5s first: they have the clearest patterns.
• Then 11s, which repeat the digit up to 11 × 9.
• Then 3s and 4s, using doubling for the 4s.
• Then 9s, with the finger and digit-sum tricks.
• Then 6s, 8s and 12s, which come from the earlier tables.
• Finally 7s, which by now only have a few new facts left.

04A trick for every table

Tricks are not cheating. They give a child a way to rebuild a fact they have forgotten, which is what builds confidence. The aim is that tricks fade as the facts become automatic.

• 2s: double the number. 2 × 8 is 8 + 8 = 16.
• 3s: double and add one more. 3 × 7 is 14 + 7 = 21. Also, the digits of every answer add up to 3, 6 or 9.
• 4s: double, then double again. 4 × 7: 7 doubled is 14, doubled again is 28.
• 5s: answers end in 5 or 0, and 5 × n is half of 10 × n. 5 × 6 is half of 60, which is 30.
• 6s: for an even number the answer ends in the same digit as that number. 6 × 8 = 48, and 6 × 4 = 24.
• 7s: learn 5, 6, 7, 8 as the sequence 56 = 7 × 8. Most other 7s are covered by earlier tables.
• 8s: double three times. 8 × 6: 6, 12, 24, 48.
• 9s: hold up ten fingers and fold down the finger for the number you are multiplying. For 9 × 7 fold down finger 7: you have 6 fingers on the left and 3 on the right, so the answer is 63. Also, the digits of every answer add up to 9.
• 10s: add a zero. 10 × 9 = 90.
• 11s: up to 11 × 9, repeat the digit. 11 × 5 = 55.
• 12s: do the 10s and add the 2s. 12 × 6 is 60 + 12 = 72.

05Skip counting, patterns and chants

Counting in steps is the root of multiplication. Counting in 3s (3, 6, 9, 12) and seeing that the seventh number is 21 is the same fact as 3 × 7. Singing or chanting a table is a long tradition in many languages, including the pahare recited in classrooms across South Asia, and it is not a bad thing. Rhythm is memorable.

The risk is that chanting only teaches the tables in order. A child may know 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 and still be unable to answer 6 × 5 out of the blue, or 5 × 6. Mix recitation with random questions, so the fact is stored on its own and not only as a step in a song.

Spotting patterns also helps memory. The 9s answers go down in the tens and up in the ones: 09, 18, 27, 36, 45. The 5s alternate between ending in 5 and ending in 0. A child who notices a pattern themselves remembers it much better than one who is told.

06How to practise so the facts stay learnt

Reading a table over and over feels productive but is weak practice. The research on memory is consistent about what works: trying to retrieve the answer, spreading practice over days, and repeating what you got wrong.

• Retrieve, do not re-read. Cover the answers and say or type them before looking.
• Little and often. Five to ten minutes a day beats an hour on Sunday.
• Mix tables once a few are known. Practising all the 6s in a row does not teach a child to pick the right fact when it is mixed with others.
• Repeat the misses. A fact answered wrongly should come back in a few minutes, and again tomorrow.
• Praise accuracy first. Speed follows confidence, and a child scared of the clock makes more mistakes.
• Stop on a success. End on a few easy facts so the child leaves feeling good.

07Make it a game: sprints, bosses and stars

Games work for the tables because they make repetition feel like progress. The Times Tables game is built on this: ten question practice rounds that repeat what a child misses, a 60 second sprint where each streak earns bonus points, and a boss round that mixes tables against a ten second limit and three hearts.

Each table earns up to three stars based on how many of its 12 facts are solid, and three stars wins a sticker. That is a visible way for a child to see a table go from shaky to known. Use the practice rounds for learning, and keep sprints and bosses for when the practice rounds feel easy.

Adding division helps too. The mode that asks 56 ÷ 7 shows that 7 × 8 = 56 and 56 ÷ 7 = 8 belong to the same fact family, so one memory does two jobs.

08A simple weekly plan for one table

Here is a plan that takes about ten minutes a day and works well for a new table such as the 7s.

• Monday: look at the whole table and one trick. Count in 7s out loud.
• Tuesday: a ten question practice round on that table.
• Wednesday: another practice round, plus a few older tables mixed in.
• Thursday: a 60 second sprint to see how many facts are quick.
• Friday: practise the facts you got wrong this week, and write them on a card.
• Weekend: a relaxed game or boss round with all the tables you know.

09What parents and teachers can do

Find out which facts are the problem rather than re-doing whole tables. A child usually has a small set of stubborn facts, often involving 6, 7, 8 and 9, such as 6 × 8, 7 × 8 or 8 × 9. The progress report in the game lists the facts a child misses most often and shows every fact on a colour map, so you can target those facts for a few minutes each day.

Make the facts part of ordinary life. How many wheels on six cars? How many days in three weeks? If a pack has eight biscuits, how many in seven packs? Real questions give the numbers a meaning, and meaning helps memory.

Finally, keep it light. Anxiety is the enemy of recall. A calm, short and regular session with a child who is allowed to get things wrong will beat a stressful long one every time.

10Where to go next

Once the tables are secure, move on to the related skills: division facts, factors and multiples, and then multi-digit multiplication. The same pattern of short, mixed and repeated practice applies to other things children learn at the same age, such as touch typing, which you can see in our 30 day typing plan. And if you like games that build patience and planning, read chess rules for beginners. When you are ready, open Times Tables, pick the table you are on and play a first round.