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How to help your child memorize times tables

Memorizing times tables goes faster when your child isn't trying to memorize all of them. A 10 by 10 table has 100 facts, but because order doesn't matter, only 55 of them are different. Most children already know the 1, 2, 5 and 10 rows, and once those are out of the way, only 21 different facts are left in the 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 rows.

So the job is: find out which facts are actually missing, give each one a way to work it out, then practice those few facts in short, regular sessions until the answer comes without thinking.

From working it out to just knowing it

• Turnarounds. 6 × 8 = 48 and 8 × 6 = 48 are one fact. Practice them together.
• Use a fact you know. If 7 × 7 = 49 is solid, then 7 × 8 = 49 + 7 = 56.
• Break it up. 6 × 7 = 5 × 7 + 7, and 5 × 7 + 7 = 42.
• Then drop the strategy. Once your child can work a fact out, a few days of quick recall turns it into a fact they simply know.

10 of the facts children miss most often

Tips for parents

• Practice 5 minutes a day rather than half an hour on the weekend.
• Work on a handful of facts at a time, and review older ones before adding new ones.
• Say the whole fact aloud ("six times eight is forty-eight"), not just the answer.
• Keep it calm. Pressure makes recall slower, not faster.

Questions parents ask