4 min read
How to Practise Times Tables at Home
Short answer
Practise times tables at home for about 10 minutes a day, learning them in a sensible order: 10, 2 and 5 first, then 4 and 8, 3 and 6, and finally 9 and 7. Start with counting in steps, move to mixed recall, and keep revisiting older tables so they stay fluent.
The most effective way to practise times tables at home is a short daily session of about 10 minutes, one or two new tables at a time, mixed with quick review of tables your child already knows. Little and often beats a long weekend session.
In England, children are expected to recall the 2, 5 and 10 times tables in Year 2, the 3, 4 and 8 tables in Year 3, and all facts up to 12 × 12 by the end of Year 4. In the US, Grade 3 children should know all products of two one-digit numbers from memory. The plan below fits both systems.
Key points
- Learn tables in a linked order: 10, 2, 5, then 4 and 8, 3 and 6, then 9 and 7.
- Ten minutes a day, five days a week, is enough for steady progress.
- Move from counting in steps to answering facts out of order as soon as possible.
- Mix old and new tables in every session so earlier facts are not forgotten.
- Track only the facts your child still hesitates on, not every fact.
What order should children learn times tables in?
Start with the tables that build on counting your child can already do, then add tables that double or link to known ones. The national curriculum in England introduces the 2, 5 and 10 tables in Year 2 and the 3, 4 and 8 tables in Year 3, with everything up to 12 × 12 by Year 4. The Common Core standards expect US children to know all single-digit products by the end of Grade 3.
Within that framework, the order below lets each new table lean on an earlier one. The 7 times table comes last because, once the others are secure, only a handful of its facts are genuinely new: 7 × 7, 7 × 8 and 7 × 9.
| Step | Table | Link to what your child already knows |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Counting in tens; the digit moves one place to the left |
| 2 | 2 | Doubling; counting in twos |
| 3 | 5 | Half of the 10 times table; answers end in 0 or 5 |
| 4 | 4 | Double the 2 times table |
| 5 | 8 | Double the 4 times table |
| 6 | 3 | Counting in threes; 3 × 4 is known from 4 × 3 |
| 7 | 6 | Double the 3 times table |
| 8 | 9 | 10 times the number, minus the number once |
| 9 | 7 | Most facts already known from other tables |
How long should times tables practice take each day?
Aim for about 10 minutes, five days a week. Short sessions keep attention high and leave your child wanting to come back. Research on study techniques rates distributed practice (spreading practice over many days) as one of the most useful strategies, so five 10-minute sessions do more than one 50-minute session.
Pick a fixed slot, such as straight after breakfast or before reading time, so practice becomes a habit rather than a negotiation.
| Minutes | Activity | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 0-2 | Count in steps out loud | Count in eights to 96 (or to 80 if your child is working to 10 × 8), then back |
| 2-6 | New table, out of order | 8 × 3, 8 × 7, 8 × 5, 8 × 9, 8 × 6 |
| 6-9 | Mixed review of older tables | 4 × 6, 5 × 9, 2 × 8, 10 × 7 |
| 9-10 | Mark the hesitations | Write down any fact that took more than a few seconds |
How do you move from counting to instant recall?
Counting in steps is a useful start, but a child who counts up to 7 × 8 every time has not yet learned the fact. Once your child can count through a table reliably, stop asking in order and ask facts at random. If they start counting under their breath, give them a known neighbour fact instead: “You know 5 × 8 is 40. What is 6 × 8?”
Use the turnaround rule early. Every fact appears twice (3 × 7 and 7 × 3), so each new table is smaller than it looks. When your child reaches the 7 times table, show them how many of its facts they already know.
- Say the whole fact, not just the answer: “six eights are forty-eight”.
- Ask the inverse: “What times 8 makes 48?” This prepares for division.
- Praise speed only after accuracy is secure; a wrong fast answer is not progress.
What times tables games work without screens?
Simple games give the same repetition as a worksheet and are easy to fit into car journeys or meal preparation. Keep each game to two or three minutes inside the daily session.
- Card flip: remove picture cards from a pack. Turn two cards and multiply; the first correct answer keeps the pair.
- Dice products: roll two dice and multiply. Use a 10-sided die later for bigger facts.
- Ping-pong: you say a fact, your child answers, then they ask you one. Make the odd deliberate mistake for them to catch.
- Beat yesterday: time how long 10 mixed facts take and try to beat the time the next day, as long as all 10 are correct.
- Fact of the day: stick one tricky fact on the fridge and ask it at random moments.
Practise this with a 12-week pack
Grade 3 (Year 4): 60 dated sheets with your child’s name, levelled by a quick check, with weekly answer keys. €19 once.
Why should times tables practice be mixed?
Practising one table at a time in order lets children rely on the pattern rather than the fact. Mixing tables forces them to retrieve each answer. In a study on shuffled maths problems, pupils who practised mixed problem types scored higher on a later test than those who practised in blocks, even though the mixed practice felt harder at the time.
At home, this means every session should include facts from older tables alongside the new one. For more on building this into a weekly plan, see our guide to spiral review in maths practice.
How can you track times tables progress at home?
Keep a simple grid on paper: a 10 × 10 multiplication square (or 12 × 12 if your child is preparing for the Year 4 check in England). Shade a fact once your child answers it correctly and without hesitation on three separate days. Leave the rest blank.
Most children end up with a small cluster of stubborn facts, often 6 × 7, 6 × 8, 7 × 7, 7 × 8 and 8 × 8. Focus the next week on those and drop the facts that are already shaded from daily practice, apart from occasional review.
| Day | What to do | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Introduce or revisit the focus table; note slow facts | 10 min |
| Tuesday | Focus table out of order plus older tables mixed | 10 min |
| Wednesday | Game day with the focus table and review | 10 min |
| Thursday | Written sheet of mixed facts | 10 min |
| Friday | Quick check of 20 mixed facts; shade the grid | 10 min |
Do worksheets help with learning times tables?
Worksheets help when they are short, mixed and checked the same day. A sheet of 15 to 20 problems takes most children 10 to 15 minutes and shows you exactly which facts are still weak. Mark it together and redo the wrong answers straight away.
Pencilpace’s Grade 3 packs follow this pattern for the 2 to 10 times tables, with a focus table each week and earlier tables mixed back in. You can print the free sample sheet to try one, or see the full skill list on the Grade 3 maths worksheets page. The 11 and 12 times tables are not included, so children in England preparing for the Year 4 multiplication tables check need extra practice with those.
Questions
At what age should a child know their times tables?
In England, children should recall all multiplication and division facts up to 12 × 12 by the end of Year 4, when they are eight or nine. In the US, the Common Core expects children to know all products of two one-digit numbers from memory by the end of Grade 3. Many children learn the 2, 5 and 10 tables a year or two earlier.
Which times table is the hardest to learn?
Most children find the 7 and 8 times tables hardest, and the trickiest single facts tend to be 6 × 7, 6 × 8, 7 × 7, 7 × 8 and 8 × 8. Learning the 7 times table last helps, because by then most of its facts are already known through the turnaround rule from other tables.
How long does it take to learn all the times tables?
There is no fixed answer. With 10 minutes a day, many children secure a new table every two to three weeks, so learning 2 to 10 usually spans a school year or more. Children who already count fluently in steps move faster. Keep reviewing old tables, or progress on new ones will hide forgotten facts.
Should my child chant times tables in order?
Chanting in order is a helpful first step because it builds familiarity with the sequence of answers. It should not be the last step. Once your child can chant a table, switch to asking the facts in random order, because a child who must chant from the start to reach 7 × 8 is too slow for later maths such as division and fractions.
What should I do if my child gets upset during practice?
Shorten the session to five minutes and go back to a table your child knows well, so they finish with success. Remove any timing until accuracy returns. Tell them plainly which facts they already know, for example by showing the shaded grid, and pick just one or two new facts to work on the next day.
Are times tables apps better than paper practice?
Neither is automatically better. What matters is short daily practice, mixed facts and quick feedback on mistakes. Paper has the advantage that you can see which facts your child hesitates on and talk through them, and it avoids the distractions of a device. Many families use both: paper during the week and a game at weekends.
Sources
- Mathematics programmes of study: key stages 1 and 2, National curriculum in England (Department for Education, 2013)
- Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
- Dunlosky et al. (2013), Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques, Psychological Science in the Public Interest
- Rohrer & Taylor (2007), The shuffling of mathematics problems improves learning, Instructional Science
Try it at home
Print a free Grade 3 (Year 4) sheet with the answers on page 2, no email needed. If it suits your child, a 12-week pack gives you 60 dated sheets, one for every school day (€19, full refund within 14 days).