If you are wondering how to learn multiplication tables without tears, the answer is not more chanting. It is a handful of patterns that shrink the job, plus a few minutes of practice every day. This guide gives you 10 tricks with worked examples, the best order to learn the tables in, a weekly plan and what to do when your child gets stuck.
Before you start: check two things
Tables are much easier when a child already understands what multiplication means. Check these two things first.
- Equal groups. Put out 3 rows of 4 buttons or beans and ask how many there are. If your child can see that 3 rows of 4 make 12, they are ready.
- Counting in steps. Can they count in 2s, 5s and 10s? If not, spend a week on that first.
You will need paper, a pencil, a pack of playing cards and two dice. That is all.
How to learn multiplication tables: 10 tricks that work
1. Use turn-around facts to halve the work
The order does not matter in multiplication. 3 x 8 gives the same answer as 8 x 3, which is 24. Show this with the rows of buttons: turn the paper sideways and the total stays the same.
This matters a lot. The grid from 1 x 1 to 10 x 10 has 100 facts, but once you pair up the turn-arounds there are only 55 different ones to learn.
2. Double for the 2s, double again for the 4s and 8s
The 2 times table is just doubling. The 4s are double the 2s, and the 8s are double the 4s.
Example with 7: 2 x 7 = 14. Double it and 4 x 7 = 28. Double again and 8 x 7 = 56. A child who can double can work out three tables from one.
3. Learn the 10s, then halve them for the 5s
To multiply by 10, the digits move one place to the left, so 10 x 6 = 60. To multiply by 5, do the 10 times fact and halve it: 5 x 6 is half of 60, which is 30. Another one: 5 x 8 is half of 80, which is 40.
A quick check: every answer in the 5 times table ends in 5 or 0.
4. Use the 9s finger trick and the digit-sum pattern
Hold up all ten fingers. For 9 x 4, fold down the fourth finger from the left. There are 3 fingers to the left of it and 6 to the right, so the answer is 36. It works for 9 x 1 up to 9 x 10.
There is a pattern too. In 9 x 7 = 63, the tens digit is one less than 7, and the two digits add up to 9 (6 + 3 = 9). Check 9 x 8 = 72: one less than 8 is 7, and 7 + 2 = 9.
5. Learn the square numbers by heart
Square numbers are a number times itself: 3 x 3 = 9, 4 x 4 = 16, 5 x 5 = 25, 6 x 6 = 36, 7 x 7 = 49, 8 x 8 = 64, 9 x 9 = 81. They run along the diagonal of the tables grid and they make great anchors.
Once 6 x 6 = 36 is known, 6 x 7 is just one more 6, so 36 + 6 = 42.
6. Spot the pattern in the 11s
Up to 9, the 11 times table simply repeats the digit: 11 x 4 = 44, 11 x 7 = 77. After that, learn three facts: 11 x 10 = 110, 11 x 11 = 121 and 11 x 12 = 132.
For 11 x 12 there is a neat shortcut. Write the 1 and the 2 with a gap, then put their sum in the middle: 1, then 1 + 2 = 3, then 2, which gives 132.
7. Skip count out loud
Skip counting is saying a table as a list: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30. For 3 x 6, count along to the sixth number, which is 18.
Do it while walking, climbing stairs or bouncing a ball. Rhythm helps the list stick. Then ask facts out of order so your child does not rely on starting from the beginning.
8. Tackle the hard few on their own
After the tricks above, only a few facts are left. Give each one its own hook.
- 6 x 7 = 42. Start from 6 x 6 = 36 and add 6.
- 7 x 8 = 56. Say the digits in order: 5, 6, 7, 8. So 56 = 7 x 8.
- 6 x 8 = 48. Double 3 x 8. That is 24 doubled, which is 48.
- 7 x 7 = 49. A square number, so learn it as an anchor.
Write these four on sticky notes and put them where your child will see them, such as the fridge or the bathroom mirror.
9. Play games instead of testing
Card flip: remove the picture cards, turn over two cards and multiply them. The first to say the answer keeps the pair.
Dice race: roll two dice, multiply the numbers and write the answer. The first to reach a total of 100 wins.
Games give lots of repetition without the feeling of being examined.
10. Practise for five to ten minutes every day
Short and daily beats long and weekly. Five to ten focused minutes, at the same time each day, is enough. Stop while it is still going well, so your child is willing to come back tomorrow.
The best order to learn the tables
Do not go from 1 to 12 in order. Start with the easy patterns and build on them. Because of turn-around facts, each new table contains fewer new facts than the one before.
| Step | Tables | Trick to use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1s and 10s | The number stays the same, or moves one place left |
| 2 | 2s and 5s | Doubling, and halving the 10s |
| 3 | 4s and 8s | Double the 2s, then double again |
| 4 | 3s and 6s | Skip count the 3s, then double them for the 6s |
| 5 | 9s | Finger trick and digits that add up to 9 |
| 6 | 11s | Repeated digits |
| 7 | 7s | Only 7 x 7 is new by now |
| 8 | 12s | Ten times the number plus two times the number |
An example for the 12s: 12 x 7 is 10 x 7 plus 2 x 7, so 70 + 14 = 84.
A simple weekly practice plan
Take one table, or half a table, each week. Younger children in Grades 2 and 3 may need two weeks per table, and that is fine.
| Day | What to do (5 to 10 minutes) |
|---|---|
| Monday | Meet the new table. Build three or four facts with buttons and talk about the trick. |
| Tuesday | Skip count the table forwards and backwards, then write it out once. |
| Wednesday | Play card flip or dice race. |
| Thursday | Ask the facts out of order and mix in last week's table. |
| Friday | A friendly ten-question quiz. Note the facts that were slow. |
| Weekend | Use it in real life: eggs in boxes, wheels on cars, legs on chairs. |
The slow facts from Friday become the sticky notes for next week.
What to do when your child is stuck
- Go back one step. Return to a table they know well and let them feel quick again before moving on.
- Make it visible. Lay out rows of buttons or draw dots in a grid. Seeing 6 rows of 7 makes the answer mean something.
- Work on one fact at a time. Pick a single tricky fact for the day and ask it a few times, at breakfast, in the car and at bedtime.
- Link it to a fact they know. If 7 x 8 is lost, start from 7 x 7 = 49 and add 7 to get 56.
- Drop the timer. Speed comes after accuracy. If timing causes worry, remove it for a few weeks.
- Praise the method. Say "I like how you doubled that" so your child keeps using the tricks.
If your child still relies on counting on fingers for every fact after a few weeks, the gap is often in addition or doubling, not in the tables themselves. Practise doubles for a week and then come back.
When a little extra help is useful
Most children can learn their tables at home with these tricks and a steady routine. If practice keeps turning into an argument, or your child has lost confidence, a patient teacher can often reset things quickly. Core Minds Academy offers small live math classes, and you can book a free trial class to see how your child responds. For more ideas to try at home, browse the rest of our blog.
