How to help your child learn their times tables

Children learn their times tables best with a few minutes of practice most days. These ideas fit into busy days and help with the Year 4 multiplication tables check.

Little and often

5 to 10 minutes a day works better than a long session once a week. Use times that are already part of the day, like the walk to school, a car journey or while tea is cooking.

Start with the easier tables

Many children learn the tables in this order: 10, 2 and 5, then 3, 4 and 8, then 11, 6, 9, 12 and 7.

Each fact works both ways round: 3 × 8 is the same as 8 × 3. So each new table has fewer new facts. Once your child knows the 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 times tables, only 21 facts in the 2 to 12 tables are left to learn.

Use known facts to work out new ones

• the 4 times table is double the 2 times table, and the 8 times table is double the 4 times table
• the 6 times table is the 5 times table plus one more lot: 6 × 7 = 35 + 7 = 42
• the 9 times table is the 10 times table take away one lot: 9 × 7 = 70 − 7 = 63
• the 12 times table is the 10 times table plus the 2 times table: 12 × 7 = 70 + 14 = 84

Working things out is a good start. With practice, children stop needing to and just know the answer, which is what the 6 second limit in the check is looking for.

Say it, see it, use it

• count out loud in steps: 7, 14, 21, 28…
• draw arrays, like 4 rows of 6 dots, to see why 4 × 6 = 24
• spot times tables in everyday life: eggs in boxes of 6, days in a week, months in a year
• ask quick questions both ways round: “What is 7 × 8?” and “What is 8 × 7?”

Focus on the tricky facts

Most children know most facts and get stuck on a handful, often ones like 6 × 7, 7 × 8 and 8 × 9. After each practice check on this site, you can practise just the facts your child got wrong. My progress shows which facts they know well and which need more work.

Accuracy first, then speed

Timed practice builds quick recall, but time pressure makes some children anxious. If that happens, give more time per question or turn off the countdown bar in settings, then build back up to 6 seconds.

Keep it positive

Praise effort and notice progress, like a better score or a fact they have finally cracked. The check has no pass mark, so there is no need to worry about it or to compare children with each other.

Or practise one times table at a time, or read what happens in the multiplication tables check.