Learning times tables with a simple weekly plan
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A 12 × 12 grid has 144 answers, but only 78 different facts, because 3 × 7 and 7 × 3 are the same fact. Remove the 1× and 10× tables, which most children pick up early, and the list shrinks again. That is the first thing to tell a child who thinks times tables are endless.
In England, pupils are expected to know their multiplication facts up to 12 × 12 by the end of Year 4. In June of that year they take the multiplication tables check (MTC): 25 questions on screen, with 6 seconds to answer each one.
One fact, four facts
Teach the "turnaround" early. A child who knows 4 × 8 = 32 also knows 8 × 4 = 32, and two division facts. An array of dots shows why.
A sensible order
Learning the tables in numerical order is not the most efficient route. This order builds each stage on the one before.
| Stage | Tables | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10, 2, 5 | Clear patterns; counting in 2s, 5s and 10s |
| 2 | 3, 4, 8 | 4× is double 2×; 8× is double 4× |
| 3 | 11, 6, 9 | 6× is double 3×; 9× has strong digit patterns |
| 4 | 12, 7 | 12× is 10× plus 2×; 7× has hardly anything new left |
By the time a child reaches the 7× table, they already know 7 × 2, 7 × 3, 7 × 4 and so on up to 7 × 12 through the turnarounds. The only genuinely new fact is 7 × 7 = 49. Point that out to a child who has heard the 7s are the hardest.
The weekly shape
Allow one to two weeks per table. Each session is five to ten minutes.
Monday: build it. Make the table together with objects, a number line or a hundred square. Look for patterns. In the 9× table, the digits of each answer up to 9 × 10 add up to 9 (18, 27, 36 …), and the tens digit goes up by one as the ones digit goes down by one.
Tuesday: say it and write it. Chant the table in order, then write it from memory. Then say it backwards from 12 ×.
Wednesday: mix it. Ask the facts out of order, slowly at first. Include division: "What is 42 divided by 6?"
Thursday: play it. Turn over two playing cards, multiply them, and the first to say the answer keeps the pair. Short online games work too: ModernScholar's times tables activities are free and quick enough to fit in before school.
Friday: check it. Twenty mixed questions from this week's table and earlier ones. Write the score on a chart and note which facts went wrong.
Weekend: rest, or a two-minute quiz in the car.
Try it: Keep a "tricky facts" list on the fridge. Any fact your child gets wrong twice goes on it. Ask three facts from the list at the start of each session, and cross a fact off when it has been right on three different days.
Getting to a tricky fact through a known one
These strategies are steps towards instant recall, not a replacement for it.
Doubling. 3 × 7 = 21, so 6 × 7 = 42. 4 × 6 = 24, so 8 × 6 = 48.
Ten times, then adjust. 9 × 8: 10 × 8 = 80, take away one 8, giving 72. 11 × 7: 10 × 7 = 70, add one more 7, giving 77.
The 9s finger trick. Hold up ten fingers. For 9 × 4, fold down the fourth finger from the left. Three fingers are left of it and six to the right: 36. It works up to 9 × 10.
Once a child can work out 6 × 7 by doubling, keep practising it until they simply know it. Fast recall is what makes written methods manageable later, as our guide to column methods for parents shows.
What makes practice stick
Mix old with new. Every session should include some earlier tables, or the 3s quietly fade while the 8s are being learned.
Aim for recall, not counting. Counting up on fingers is a useful stage, but the goal is an answer within a couple of seconds.
Use paper as well as screens. A sheet of completed facts is something a child can look back on. You can make your own practice sheets on EduPrintables.
Practise the look-alikes side by side. 6 × 8 = 48 and 7 × 7 = 49 get muddled, as do 7 × 8 = 56 and 6 × 9 = 54. Some children like "5, 6, 7, 8: 56 = 7 × 8".
Ask division too. "How many 7s in 56?" as often as "What is 7 × 8?"
Keep it short. Five focused minutes a day beats an hour on Sunday. A table is learned when your child can answer its facts mixed up, quickly, on several different days, not after one good Friday.
If maths in general is causing upset, read our guide to a child who says "I'm bad at maths" alongside this plan.
The 12 × 12 grid challenge
Once a week, give your child a blank 12 × 12 multiplication grid and five minutes to fill in as many squares as they can, in any order. Shade the correct squares. Over the weeks the shaded area grows, and the gaps show exactly which facts to practise next.
Frequently asked questions
What happens in the multiplication tables check?
Children answer 25 questions on a tablet or computer at school, with 6 seconds for each. Six seconds is plenty for a child who knows a fact and not enough for one who is counting, so a little practice at typing answers quickly helps. There is no pass mark. Schools use the results to see who needs more support.
Why learn up to 12 × 12 and not 10 × 10?
The national curriculum in England sets 12 × 12 as the Year 4 expectation, and the check covers it. The 11 and 12 times tables also help with measures, time and later work on factors.
What if my child finds this really hard?
Slow down and go back to the 2s, 5s and 10s, using objects or arrays. If difficulties continue despite regular practice, mention it to the class teacher. Secure tables pay off later too, especially in fractions.
Sources and further reading
- Multiplication tables check (GOV.UK) – official information about the Year 4 check, its timing and how results are used.
- Multiplication tables check: information for parents – the Standards and Testing Agency leaflet for families.
- National curriculum in England: mathematics programmes of study – the year-by-year multiplication expectations.
