How to learn the multiplication tables (a guide for kids and parents)
Knowing the multiplication tables by heart makes almost every part of math easier – fractions, division, area, percentages. The good news: you don't have to learn all 100 facts at once, and many of them are easier than they look. Here's a plan.
Start with the easy tables
Some tables are almost free:
- ×1: any number times 1 is itself. 7 × 1 = 7.
- ×10: add a zero. 6 × 10 = 60.
- ×2: double the number. 8 × 2 = 16.
- ×5: half of ×10. 5 × 8 is half of 80, which is 40. The answers always end in 0 or 5.
Once these are solid, a big part of the full table is already done.
You only need half the facts
Multiplication works both ways: 3 × 7 is the same as 7 × 3. So once you know one, you know the other. That cuts the number of facts to learn almost in half.
Use patterns
- ×9: the digits of the answer add up to 9 (for 9 × 1 up to 9 × 10). 9 × 6 = 54, and 5 + 4 = 9. The tens digit is one less than the number you multiply by: 9 × 6 → 5_ → 54.
- ×4: double, then double again. 4 × 7 → 14 → 28.
- ×3: count up in threes: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15…
- ×6: five times the number, plus one more of it. 6 × 7 = 35 + 7 = 42.
- Square numbers (2 × 2, 3 × 3 … 10 × 10) are worth learning on their own; many other facts are close to them.
Leave the tricky ones for last
After the easy tables and the patterns, only a handful of facts are left – usually 6 × 7, 6 × 8, 7 × 7, 7 × 8 and 8 × 8. Learn those few on their own, with extra practice.
Practise a little every day
Five minutes a day works better than an hour on Sunday. Short, regular practice spaced over days is what makes facts stick long term – here's the research.
Test yourself – don't just read the table
Reading a times table chart over and over doesn't do much. Being asked "7 × 8?" and having to answer does. Ways to practise:
- Flashcards with the question on one side – use them the right way.
- Out loud in the car or on the way to school: one person asks, the other answers.
- Mixed order. Once a table is learned, ask its facts in random order, not 1, 2, 3… in a row.
- Speed rounds, once the facts are known: how many can you answer in a minute?
For parents
- Keep it light. Praise effort and progress – "You got 7 × 8 today!" – rather than speed alone.
- Turn it into a game: card games, dice, quick-fire challenges.
- Spot real-life multiplication: boxes of eggs, packs of juice, legs on animals.
TONEC STUDY has generated math problems for every primary grade – so there's always another question to practise – plus games like 60-second Rush, where you answer as many as you can before time runs out.