How to help a child learn their times tables
Times tables stick best when practice is short, regular and varied. Ten minutes a day beats an hour on Sunday. Start with the easy tables (2, 5 and 10), then add 3 and 4, and save 6, 7, 8 and 9 for later, because many of those facts are already covered by the earlier tables.
Mix looking and recalling. Look at a times table chart together and point out patterns: the digits of the 9s add up to 9, and the 5s end in 0 or 5. Then cover the chart and ask questions out of order. Fresh worksheets help, because a new order stops children remembering the page instead of the fact.
Keep it low pressure. Time yourself against yesterday rather than against a sibling, praise the facts that were hard, and finish while it is still going well. When a child gets one table right most of the time, check it with the answer key and move on to the next.
Make a times tables worksheet →