Learn Times Table Skip Counting Wall Print Poster
£14.95
Parent guide · Times tables
How to learn times tables at home (and get ready for the Year 4 check)
The short answer
Repetition, repetition, repetition.
The times tables need to be learnt by rote to sink into long-term memory.
Start with the 2, 5 and 10 times tables: count steps out loud (2, 4, 6, 8, etc.), and cover the tables themselves too (2 x 2 = 4, 2 x 3 = 6, etc.).
A few minutes most days works better than a long session at the weekend. By the end of Year 4, children are expected to know every table up to 12 × 12.
Your school may give you access to an app you can use at home, like Times Tables Rock Stars, and it helps to support this with flashcards to add another dimension.
Start here
What order should you learn the times tables in?
Start with the tables that have the clearest patterns (2, 5 and 10).
We recommend a combination of skip counting and writing out the formulas. These cards are from our own Times Tables flashcards. Turn them over to see both sides.
Tap a card to turn it over.
Skip countingCount in 2s round the outline: 2, 4, 6, 8…
On the backWrite the answers, then wipe them off.
The tableOne big, bold card for each table, 1 to 12.
On the backEvery answer, ready to check.
Count along4, 8, 12, 16…
On the backThe same table with the answers hidden.
A closer look Hover over a card, or tap it, to turn it over.
- 2, 5 and 10 first. The 2s are doubling, the 5s end in 5 or 0, and the 10s end in 0. Most children learn these in Year 2.
- Then 3, 4 and 8. The 4s are double the 2s, and the 8s are double the 4s. These usually come in Year 3.
- Then 6, 7, 9, 11 and 12. By now they already know most of these facts the other way round, so 7 × 3 is the same as 3 × 7. That's Year 4.
The times tables grid, 2 to 12
Every table children need for the Year 4 check, in one place. Find the table on the left, then read along the row.
| × | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 |
| 3 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 27 | 30 | 33 | 36 |
| 4 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 40 | 44 | 48 |
| 5 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 35 | 40 | 45 | 50 | 55 | 60 |
| 6 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 | 36 | 42 | 48 | 54 | 60 | 66 | 72 |
| 7 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 28 | 35 | 42 | 49 | 56 | 63 | 70 | 77 | 84 |
| 8 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 32 | 40 | 48 | 56 | 64 | 72 | 80 | 88 | 96 |
| 9 | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 45 | 54 | 63 | 72 | 81 | 90 | 99 | 108 |
| 10 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 100 | 110 | 120 |
| 11 | 11 | 22 | 33 | 44 | 55 | 66 | 77 | 88 | 99 | 110 | 121 | 132 |
| 12 | 12 | 24 | 36 | 48 | 60 | 72 | 84 | 96 | 108 | 120 | 132 | 144 |
The highlighted squares are the square numbers, like 7 × 7 = 49. Every other answer appears twice, because 3 × 8 is the same as 8 × 3.
Year 2 to Year 4
What is the Year 4 multiplication check?
In June of Year 4, children in the UK take the Multiplication Tables Check. It's a short test on a screen, with 25 questions from the 2 to 12 times tables and 6 seconds to answer each one. There's no pass mark.
Year 2: The 2, 5 and 10 times tables, plus counting in 2s, 5s and 10s.
Year 3: The 3, 4 and 8 times tables.
Year 4: Every table up to 12 × 12, and quick recall in time for the check in June.
Six seconds isn't long enough to count up, so the check is really about knowing the answers. Short, regular practice is what gets them there.
Perfect to help my little girls revise & recap her tables. Beautiful colour scheme!
How to practise for the Year 4 multiplication check
The check is about speed, so the aim is answers they just know, rather than answers they can work out.
- Mix the questions up. Chanting a table in order is a good start, but the check asks questions in any order. Shuffle the cards and ask them one at a time.
- Try six seconds. Once a table feels easy, see if they can answer before you count to six. If they can't, that card goes back in the pile.
- Spend longer on the tricky tables. The check includes more questions from the 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 times tables, so they're worth the extra practice.
- Practise on a screen too. The real check is on a screen, so it helps to have tried answering that way. Ask your child's teacher what the school uses.
Most of all, keep it light. There's no pass mark, and a relaxed child remembers more.
Learning through play
How to learn times tables at home
Times tables stick through repetition, so a few minutes most days does more than an hour on a Sunday.
Count up it out loud together, then count back down. Once that's easy, mix up the questions and see how quickly they can answer.
Keep going over the tables they already know, too. A quick 2s or 5s warm-up gets them off to a confident start.
Times tables games to play at home
Three ways to play (and learn) the times tables without an app.
There are lots of fun ways to practise times tables. See all our games and activities
Three habits that help
The best way to learn times tables is out loud, a little at a time, and checking as you go.
-
Say it out loud
Chanting "3, 6, 9, 12" in the car or on the walk to school all counts.
-
Turn it round
If they know 3 × 7, they know 7 × 3. Every table they learn makes the next one smaller.
-
Check, then go again
With flashcards, write the answers, flip the card to check, and wipe off the ones to try again.
How long does it take to learn a times table?
It varies, and that's normal. With regular practice, many children feel confident with a new table in a few weeks. The 2s, 5s and 10s usually come quickest, and the 7s and 8s take longest.
Tricks for the 6, 7, 8 and 9 times tables
These are the tables children most often get stuck on. A trick for each one can help.
- 6 times table: double the 3s. 3 × 7 is 21, so 6 × 7 is 42. And when you multiply 6 by an even number, the answer ends in that number: 6 × 4 = 24, 6 × 6 = 36, 6 × 8 = 48.
- 7 times table: count what's left. They already know 7 × 2, 7 × 5 and 7 × 10, and most of the rest from other tables. That leaves just 7 × 7 = 49 and 7 × 8 = 56. Try "5, 6, 7, 8": 56 = 7 × 8.
- 8 times table: double, double, double. For 8 × 6, double 6 to get 12, double again to 24, then once more to 48.
- 9 times table: use your fingers. Hold up ten fingers and fold down the one you're multiplying by. For 9 × 4, fold the fourth finger: 3 fingers before it, 6 after, so the answer is 36.
Times tables cards, posters or apps?
Apps
Good for speed practice
Handy for quick-fire questions once they know most of the tables.
Wall posters
The whole pattern at a glance
A poster on the bedroom wall means they see the tables every day.
Flashcards
Made for practising together
One table at a time. Count round it, write the answers, flip to check and wipe clean!
Times table posters and wall charts
A poster works quietly in the background. Seeing the tables every day helps them sink in a little at a time.
Put it where your child will see it often: next to their bed, by the desk, or even on the back of the toilet door. Ask a question now and then, like "What's 4 × 8? Check on the poster."
Posters are best for seeing the patterns, and cards are best for practising. Our A3 times tables grid print and skip-counting print come in seven colourways, so they suit the room as well as the maths. Or why not get a matching pair?
THE BENEFITS
Why do times tables matter?
Once the tables are quick, lots of other maths gets easier.
DIVISION
Sharing out
If they know 4 × 5 = 20, they know 20 ÷ 5 = 4.
FRACTIONS
Halves, quarters and more
Finding a quarter of 12 is the 4 times table in disguise.
PATTERNS
Seeing how numbers work
Doubling, halving and spotting what comes next.
CONFIDENCE
Less to work out
Quick answers leave more room for the tricky part of a question.
Before you buy
What to look for in times tables flashcards
Look for cards that follow the order schools teach, show each table more than one way, and give room to practise.
One table at a time
A card for each table means you can work on the 5s without the 7s getting in the way, and move on in the order schools teach.
Two ways to see it
Some children learn a table by counting it, and some by seeing it written out. Ours have a skip-counting card and a full table for every number from 1 to 12.
Room to practise
Wipe-clean cards let them write the answers, check, and go again, as many times as they need.
Tough enough for real life
Times tables cards get written on, wiped and shuffled again and again. So we print ours on thick card, cut them to A6 with rounded corners, and finish them with gloss laminate. Good cards can be passed down to a younger brother or sister, so you get your money's worth!
The best times table cards for your child
Award-winning
Times Tables Flashcards
£17.95
- Two cards for every table, 1 to 12. One to skip count round the number, one with the whole table on the back.
- Wipe-clean practice. Write the answers on the blank side, flip the card to check, then wipe and go again.
- Every table up to 12 × 12, the full set children need by the end of Year 4.
Junior Design Awards 2021 · Silver · Best Educational Toy/Game
