Start with the easy wins
Times tables feel like a mountain of 100 facts, but children don't have to climb it in one go. Starting with the tables that follow simple patterns builds confidence quickly, and confidence makes the rest easier.
- The 10 times table: every answer ends in 0.
- The 2 times table: doubling, and every answer is even.
- The 5 times table: answers end in 5 or 0, and it's half the 10 times table.
- The 1 and 11 times tables (up to 9 × 11): almost no work at all.
Once these feel easy, move on to 3, 4 and 9, then 6, 7, 8 and 12.
Point out the patterns
Patterns turn memorising into understanding, so facts stick and can be worked out again if they slip.
- Swapping works: 3 × 8 is the same as 8 × 3, which halves the number of facts to learn.
- The 4 times table is double the 2 times table, and the 8 times table is double the 4.
- In the 9 times table the digits of each answer add up to 9 (18, 27, 36…), and the tens go up as the ones go down.
- Every times table fact also gives a division fact: if 6 × 7 = 42, then 42 ÷ 7 = 6.
Little and often beats long sessions
Five minutes a day does more than an hour once a week. Short, regular practice is what moves facts from "I can work it out" to "I just know it", which is the goal: instant recall frees your child's attention for harder maths.
Try practising at the same moment each day, like on the way to school or before dinner, so it becomes a habit rather than a chore.
Make it a game
Games add just enough challenge to keep children coming back. Quick-fire questions with a score to beat work especially well.
- Maths Rocket's Multiply & Divide game asks times tables questions with one number missing, like 6 × ? = 42. Its 60-second rounds give a best score to beat, and Timeless mode has no clock for calmer practice.
- Start on Easy (up to 5 × 5), then Medium (up to 7 × 7) and Hard (up to 10 × 10).
- Off screen, try times tables ping-pong: you say a question, they answer and ask you one back.
Use them in real life
Times tables are everywhere once you look: 4 packs of 6 yoghurts, 3 friends getting 5 sweets each, the number of legs on 7 dogs. Asking these little questions in passing shows children why the tables matter.
Keep it positive
If a fact keeps going wrong, focus on just that one for a few days and write it somewhere you'll both see it. Celebrate each table as it's mastered, and avoid making it feel like a test: relaxed children remember more.
