Learning Times Tables: An Order That Makes Sense, and How to Practice

Many children are handed the times tables as a long list: 1s, 2s, 3s, all the way to 12s, in order. That order is easy for adults to write down, but it is not the easiest to learn. A better plan starts with the tables that have a pattern, builds on facts the child already knows and leaves the trickiest for last, when most of it is already known.

First, understand what multiplication means

Before memorizing, make sure the child understands what 4 × 3 means: four groups of three, or an array of 4 rows with 3 in each row. Skip counting (3, 6, 9, 12) and drawing arrays turn memorizing into something the child can rebuild if they forget. A fact that can be rebuilt is a fact that is easier to learn.

The order

Here is an order that works, and why:

1. Times 1 and times 0. Any number times 1 is itself. Any number times 0 is 0. These are rules, not facts to memorize.
2. Times 2. These are doubles, which children usually know from addition (6 + 6).
3. Times 10. Add a zero on the end (or, better, say “tens shift one place left”).
4. Times 5. Count by 5s. The answers end in 5 or 0. A clock face helps: 3 × 5 is the 3 on the clock, 15 minutes.
5. Square numbers (1×1, 2×2, 3×3 … 10×10). These are the diagonal on the multiplication chart: 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81, 100. Children can picture them as squares.
6. Times 9. Use the pattern: the digits of the answer to 9 × 1 through 9 × 10 add up to 9 (18, 27, 36, 45…), and the tens digit is one less than the number you multiplied by (9 × 4: the tens digit is 3, so 36). The finger trick is popular too.
7. Times 4. Double the double: 4 × 6 is double 2 × 6.
8. Times 3. Doubling plus one more group: 3 × 7 is 2 × 7 + 7.
9. Times 6. Double the 3s: 6 × 7 is double 3 × 7.
10. Times 8. Double the 4s: 8 × 7 is double 4 × 7.
11. Times 7. By now, you only need one new fact.

Why only one? Because 3 × 7 and 7 × 3 are the same, so any fact with a 7 in it is already known from the other table, except 7 × 7 itself (49). The same logic shrinks every table: once the 2s, 5s and 10s are known, only a small number of facts remain.

Then, if your curriculum asks for it, do 11s (the 11 pattern for single digits is just repeating the digit: 11, 22, 33) and 12s (10 × the number plus 2 × the number).

Use the chart as a map

Print a multiplication chart and have the child color the facts they know. You will see the grid fill in from the edges, then the middle, and notice the symmetry: the chart is a mirror along the diagonal. Seeing that half of the facts are “free” is encouraging. The free multiplication chart is a single black-and-white page; there is also a blank one, which makes a good no-prep check.

How to practice

Little and often. Five minutes, once or twice a day, beats a 30-minute session once a week. Short sessions fit around dinner or the car ride.

Say it, don’t just see it. Say the whole fact out loud: “seven times eight is fifty-six.” Children remember the sound and the rhythm.

Practice mixed, not only in order. Reciting 6, 12, 18, 24 is useful early on, but it is only skip counting. After that, mix the facts so that the child has to recall the answer, not recite a sequence.

Retrieve before you reveal. Ask the question, wait, then show the answer. Even a wrong guess followed by the right answer helps more than reading the answer straight away.

Track what is known. Keep a small “know it” pile and a “still working on it” pile of flash cards. Practice the working pile more, but add a few known cards each time so that the child gets a win.

Use games. Dice, card games with two cards flipped and multiplied, and “I’m thinking of a number” games all work. The times tables tool shows the grid on screen and can quiz one table at a time, which is handy for a short session.

Keep it low-stress. If a child is anxious, drop timers. Speed comes with accuracy, and accuracy comes from understanding.

A sample week

• Monday: Review the new table with skip counting and arrays.
• Tuesday: Add the matching facts to a flash card pile. Quiz five.
• Wednesday: Mixed quiz with the new table and the previous tables.
• Thursday: A game: roll two dice and multiply.
• Friday: Color the chart for the facts that are now solid.

Where to practice online

The free practice section has multiplication skills by grade, scored from 0 to 100, with the answers explained when your child misses a question. It is a good way to check what has stuck without sitting beside them for every question.

Frequently asked questions

At what grade should children know their times tables?

Expectations vary by curriculum. Many programs introduce multiplication in Grade 2 or 3 and expect fluency with facts to 10 × 10 by about Grade 4. Check your local expectations.

Should we learn up to 10 × 10 or 12 × 12?

Follow your curriculum. The 11s and 12s are useful for measurement and money in some countries, but 10 × 10 is the core.

My child keeps forgetting the 7s and 8s. What should I do?

Go back to the strategies: 7 × 8 can be rebuilt as 7 × 4 doubled, or 5 × 8 plus 2 × 8. If they can rebuild it quickly, they will remember it soon enough.