How to teach times tables, with tricks for the hard ones

By Colouring Nest · Published 28 October 2026 · Sources checked 28 October 2026

Teach the times tables in an order that builds on itself (2, 5 and 10 first, then 3, 4 and 11, then 6, 9 and 12, and 7 and 8 last), make sure children understand what multiplying means before asking them to memorise, then practise recall for a few minutes most days with the facts mixed up. Turnarounds help a lot: once a child knows 3 × 8, they also know 8 × 3, so the "hard" facts shrink to a short list you can work on directly.

When should children know their times tables?

It depends on where you live, but the expectations are close. In New Zealand, the Ministry of Education's guide for parents says children in Year 3 recall the facts for the 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 8s and 10s, Year 4 children know the 2 to 10 times tables, and Year 5 children memorise the 11 and 12 times tables.

The Australian Curriculum (version 9) expects Year 4 students to recall multiplication facts up to 10 × 10 and the related division facts. In England, every Year 4 pupil in a state school sits the multiplication tables check, which tests fluent recall up to 12 × 12.

So by about age 9 or 10, most children are expected to answer any fact up to 10 × 10 quickly, and many schools go on to 12 × 12 within a year.

Start with what multiplying means

Children who only chant tables can often say "seven eights are fifty-six" without knowing what it means, and they get stuck as soon as a fact is asked out of order. Before memorising, spend time on these three ideas:

Equal groups. 4 × 3 is four groups of three. Use egg cartons, Lego bricks or biscuits on plates.
Arrays. Lay counters in 4 rows of 3. Turn the tray round and it becomes 3 rows of 4: same total. This is the turnaround idea that halves the work.
Skip counting. Counting in 3s (3, 6, 9, 12) is the bridge from adding to multiplying. The NZ curriculum puts counting in 2s, 5s and 10s in the first years of school, before the tables themselves.

The Education Endowment Foundation's guidance on maths in the middle years recommends both: pupils should develop fluent recall of facts, and teachers should also make the connections between facts and concepts clear. Understanding is what lets a child rebuild a fact they have forgotten.

What order should times tables be taught in?

A common order, and the one our worksheets follow, is:

2, 5 and 10. The answers follow clear patterns (even numbers, numbers ending in 5 or 0, numbers ending in 0).
3, 4 and 11. The 4s are the 2s doubled. The 11s up to 11 × 9 repeat the digit (11 × 6 = 66).
6, 9 and 12. Each can be built from a table already known: 6 × n is 5 × n plus one more n; 9 × n is 10 × n minus one n; 12 × n is 10 × n plus 2 × n.
7 and 8. By now almost every fact in these tables has been met as a turnaround. 7 × 4 is just 4 × 7.

Here is why turnarounds matter. If a child knows the 0, 1, 2, 5 and 10 tables and understands that order doesn't change the answer, only 21 different facts are left in the whole 10 × 10 square: the products of 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 with each other (including squares such as 6 × 6). Write those 21 on cards and you have the real job in front of you.

Tricks for the hard times tables

Tricks work best as a way to work a fact out while it is being learned. The goal is still to know it without the trick.

4s: double, then double again. 4 × 7: double 7 is 14, double 14 is 28.
8s: double three times. 8 × 6: 12, 24, 48.
6s: five lots and one more. 6 × 7 = 5 × 7 + 7 = 35 + 7 = 42. Children who know the 3s can also double them: 6 × 7 is double 3 × 7.
9s: ten lots, take one away. 9 × 7 = 70 − 7 = 63. Two checks: the tens digit is one less than the number you are multiplying by (9 × 7 starts with 6), and the digits add to 9 (6 + 3) for every answer up to 9 × 10.
The 9s finger trick. Hold up ten fingers. For 9 × 4, fold down the fourth finger from the left. Three fingers are left of the fold (30) and six to the right (6): 36.
7s: five lots plus two lots. 7 × 8 = 5 × 8 + 2 × 8 = 40 + 16 = 56. Many children like the rhyme "5, 6, 7, 8: 56 is 7 × 8".
Square facts as anchors. 7 × 7 = 49 and 8 × 8 = 64 are easy to picture as squares. From 7 × 7, one more 7 gives 7 × 8 = 56.
12s: ten lots plus two lots. 12 × 6 = 60 + 12 = 72.

The three facts that trip up the most children are usually 6 × 7, 6 × 8 and 7 × 8. Put them on the fridge for a week.

How to practise so the facts stick

Short and frequent beats long and occasional. A plan that works at home or in class:

Pick one table and its turnarounds. Read the table aloud in order once, then cover it.
Practise in order, then mixed. Order helps at first; mixed order is what proves a fact is known.
Ask the missing-number question. "Seven times what is 42?" is the first step towards division and catches children who are only counting up.
Keep a "still slow" list. Any fact that takes more than a few seconds goes on the list. Spend most of the next session on those.
Mix old tables in. Once a table is secure, keep a few of its facts in every later session so it isn't forgotten.
Stop while it's still fun. Five to ten minutes is plenty for a 7- or 8-year-old.

Games help with the mixed practice: flash-card snap, "beat your score" with a set of 20 cards, or a colour-by-code page where each answer tells you which colour to use.

How to use our times tables printables

Each times table sheet shows the table at the top with a fold line, so a child can hide it. Level ★ asks the facts in order, ★★ mixes them up and ★★★ asks for missing numbers. The review worksheet for each table mixes the new facts with earlier tables. Flash cards print double-sided with the answer on the back, and a 1–12 multiplication chart is handy for checking answers, not for copying them.

Questions people ask

What is the easiest way to learn the 7 times table?

Build each fact from tables you already know: 7 × n is 5 × n plus 2 × n, so 7 × 6 = 30 + 12 = 42. By the time children reach the 7s, most facts are turnarounds of tables they know, and only 7 × 7 and 7 × 8 are new. Anchor those with the square 7 × 7 = 49 and add one more 7 to get 56.

What is the trick for the 9 times table?

Multiply by 10 and take one lot away: 9 × 8 = 80 − 8 = 72. The answers also have digits that add to 9 up to 9 × 10, and the finger trick works for 9 × 1 to 9 × 10: fold down the finger for the number you are multiplying by and read the tens and ones on either side.

How do I teach times tables to a 7 year old?

Start with meaning and patterns rather than speed. Use equal groups and skip counting in 2s, 5s and 10s with real objects, then learn those tables. Keep sessions to five or ten minutes and use games. Most curricula expect the full 10 × 10 facts around age 9 or 10, so there is time.

Should children learn times tables to 12 or to 10?

Australia’s curriculum sets 10 × 10 by Year 4, while New Zealand adds the 11 and 12 times tables in Year 5 and England checks up to 12 × 12 in Year 4. Learn to 10 first; the 11s and 12s are quick once 10 × 10 is secure.