✖️ Times Tables Tricks for Kids: Easy Hacks That Really Work

Published 2026-10-29 · By the AlphabetsLearn Team · 8 min read · For parents & teachers

Times tables feel huge at first: 100 facts! The good news is that a handful of patterns cover most of them. This guide focuses on tricks. For the basics of what multiplication means, see our guide to teaching multiplication and the array method.

🔁 Trick 1: Swap the numbers

3 × 7 is the same as 7 × 3. Show it with an array of buttons: 3 rows of 7 turned sideways is 7 rows of 3. Once children know this, the number of facts to learn is nearly halved.

2️⃣ The 2 times table = doubles

× 2 just means "double it". Children often know doubles from fingers (5 + 5 = 10) and dice. Practise with mirror play: put 4 blocks in front of a mirror and you see 8!

4️⃣ The 4 times table = double, double

To work out 4 × 6: double 6 is 12, double again is 24. Two easy steps instead of one hard fact.

🖐️ The 5 times table = clock and hands

• Answers always end in 0 or 5.
• Count fingers on hands: 3 hands have 15 fingers.
• Use a clock face: the minute hand on the 4 means 20 minutes, so 4 × 5 = 20.
• Trick: 5 × an even number is half that number with a 0 on the end (5 × 8: half of 8 is 4 → 40).

🔟 The 10 times table = add a zero

Any number × 10 just gets a 0 on the end: 7 × 10 = 70. Explain why with bundles of 10 sticks or 10p coins, so it's not just a magic rule.

9️⃣ The 9 times table finger trick

1. Hold up all 10 fingers.
2. For 9 × 4, fold down the 4th finger from the left.
3. Fingers to the left of the folded one = tens (3). Fingers to the right = ones (6). Answer: 36.

Two more 9s patterns: the digits of each answer add up to 9 (3 + 6 = 9), and the tens digit is one less than the number you multiply by (9 × 4 → 36). Another way: 9 × 4 = 10 × 4 − 4 = 36.

1️⃣1️⃣ The 11 times table (up to 9)

11 × a single digit just repeats the digit: 11 × 3 = 33, 11 × 7 = 77. Children love this one!

🎵 Skip-counting songs

Skip counting (2, 4, 6, 8…) is the bridge to times tables. Chant the 2s, 5s and 10s to a familiar tune, clap on every number or bounce a ball on each beat. Count forwards and backwards. When your child can skip count, ask "What is the 4th number when we count in 5s?" That's 4 × 5!

🧱 Arrays and real-life groups

• Egg boxes (2 × 6), muffin trays (3 × 4) and window panes are ready-made arrays.
• Ask "How many wheels on 4 cars?" (4 × 4) or "How many legs on 3 dogs?"
• Draw dots in rows, then count by rows instead of one by one.

🗓️ Order to learn the tables

🎮 Quick games for practice

• Times-table snap: flip two cards and the first to say the product keeps them.
• Ball toss: throw a ball and say the next number in the 5s; whoever catches says the next one.
• Beat your score: how many facts in one minute? Try to beat yesterday's score, not someone else's.
• Fact of the day: stick one tricky fact on the fridge and ask it at every meal.

🚫 Common mistakes to avoid

• Learning all tables at once. Master one table before adding the next.
• Only chanting in order. Children may know "6 × 7" only by reciting from 6 × 1. Mix the order once a table feels familiar.
• Timed tests too early. Speed comes after understanding. Pressure can make some children anxious about maths.
• Forgetting division. Every fact has a partner: if 4 × 5 = 20, then 20 ÷ 5 = 4. Practise them together.

❓ Frequently asked questions