Learning the Times Tables Tips & Tricks

In 2020, it became compulsory for all Year 4 students to undergo a new times table test and this is likely to put additional pressure on parents to help their children get to grips with their times tables.

Children’s inability to instantly recall times tables and manage simple multiplication is a recurring theme of mathematics teaching reported by teachers in primary schools. These skills need to be embedded by Year 4 in order to prepare for the maths teaching for the next two years. At secondary school, lack of basic numeracy, including not knowing their multiplication tables really well, can lead to an inability to grasp new concepts and really slow children’s mathematical progress.

While it may seem tedious to practise times tables with your child,by ensuring your child is confident with times tables you will be equipping them with essential tools for success in maths.

Getting Familiar with Multiplication Concepts

The first step with multiplication is to make sure your child understands what multiplication really means. In other words, they need to understand that 4 x 3 is the same as 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 and be confident with such number sequences.

The Rule of Commutativity

Show your child that each answer repeats, so, technically, they only have to learn half of the tables. In other words, 4 x 5 is the same as 5 x 4. The rule of commutativity helps them understand that they know more than they might think. Drilling

Point Out Patterns

It doesn’t all have to be memorised by rote. There are clues and helpful hints that can be learned.

For example 2x is just doubling the number. This is the same as adding the number to itself: 2x2=4, 2x3=6, 2x4=8 etc. So the pattern is 2, 4,6, 8 etc. And once these are remembered then the rule of commutatavity above means they also know 3x2, 4x2 etc. 9× has a pattern too: 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, 54, 63, 72, 81, 90. Notice how the tens (first digits in every number) go up by one and the units (second digits) go down.

All the multiples of ten end in zero.

All the multiples of 5 end in either 5 or 0 and are half as large as the multiples of ten. (10x5=50 which is half of 10 x 10 = 100).

Any number x 0 is always 0. No matter what.

The answers to the 4 times table are double the answers to the 2 times table. For example, 3 × 4 = 12 is the same as 3 × 2 × 2. Likewise, the answers to the 8 times table are double the answers to the 4 times table. For example, 5 × 8 = 40 is the same as 5 × 4 × 2.

Learning the 11 times table is actually easy up to the number 9. It is simply doubling the appearance of the number you wish to multiply by. For example, 2 x 11 = 22, 3 x 11 = 33, 4 x 11 = 44 and so on.

Teach the Tricks

The great thing with times tables is that there are many tricks that can help your child memorise them more easily. Let’s take a look at a couple of tricks: 2 times tables: Double it! Two times a number simply means add the number twice. 6 x 2 is actually 6 + 6 and 8 x 2 is the same as 8 + 8. 4 times tables: Double the number you are multiplying, then double it again! It is simply a matter of doubling the number, then doubling the answer. For example, 4 x 5 is 5 + 5 = 10 and then 10 + 10 = 20. 4 x 5 is 20. 12 times table is 10x plus 2x. For example: 10 x 4 = 40, then add 2 x 4 = 8

Some drilling is inevitable. Drilling should be done once the child is familiar with their tables or at least a set of numbers. Drilling should be started in order and once you feel they are getting there you can mix it all up. They may hesitate at the beginning but the more you drill the more the times tables will be embedded into their memories.

Everyone’s Different

Some children like to learn by rote; for others it doesn’t work at all. To support their learning, work out what will make times tables stick in your child’s mind, whether that’s singing them, putting them into practice with puzzles, playing games with them or writing them out.

Good luck! If you want some extra help with teaching your children then there are many different tutors out there and some specialise in Maths such as Mathnasium in Oxford who also offer online tutorials. www.mathnasium.co.uk/northoxford 01865 655968