How to Learn Multiplication Tables: 12 Easy Tricks for Kids

Put a blank 1 to 10 multiplication chart in front of a child and it looks like a list of 100 disconnected facts to memorise.

But the chart is hiding a much friendlier truth.

Cross out the ×1, ×2, ×5, ×9 and ×10 families because each has a reliable shortcut. Then cross out every mirror twin because 3 × 4 and 4 × 3 have the same product. Only 15 different facts remain. Many of those can be built from facts the child already knows.

The goal is still fluent recall. Children need multiplication facts later for division, fractions, area and multi-digit arithmetic. The difference is that they do not have to reach fluency by chanting 100 disconnected answers. They can understand the system first, use it to reconstruct an answer, and let short, repeated practice turn that strategy into memory.

The best way to learn multiplication tables

The shortest useful answer is: meaning first, strategies second, memory third.

1. Build the fact. Show 4 × 6 with counters, equal groups, a rectangular array or jumps on a number line.
2. Connect it to a known fact. If 2 × 6 = 12, doubling again gives 4 × 6 = 24.
3. Say the complete equation. “Four times six equals twenty-four” gives the memory a question and an answer.
4. Retrieve it later without the model. Ask again after a few other facts, later that day and on following days.
5. Mix the facts. Once a strategy is secure, mix it with earlier families so the child has to choose a route instead of continuing a memorised chant.

This is not a choice between understanding and memorising. Understanding gives a child a way to find an answer when memory fails. Retrieval practice makes that answer increasingly quick. Good multiplication fluency needs both.

What multiplication actually means

In this article, 3 × 4 means 3 equal groups of 4. The total is 12.

• Equal groups: 3 plates with 4 strawberries on each plate.
• Repeated addition: 4 + 4 + 4 = 12.
• An array: 3 rows of 4 dots.
• A number line: 3 equal jumps of 4, landing on 12.

These are four views of the same multiplication. Ask a child to move between them: “Can you build 3 groups of 4? Can you draw it as rows? Where would the jumps land? Which equation matches?”

Repeated addition is a useful bridge, but it should not become the only method. Counting 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 is slow and easy to lose track of. An array makes the structure visible, and known facts make it possible to reason: 7 × 8 is 5 × 8 plus 2 × 8.

The Grade 3 Common Core multiplication standards follow this same arc: interpret equal groups and arrays, use properties and the relationship with division as strategies, then build fluent recall.

Try one fact in all three visual modes below. Then press Flip it and watch what changes and what stays the same.

Shortcut 1: Flip the fact

An array of 3 rows with 4 dots in each row has 12 dots. Turn it a quarter-turn and it becomes 4 rows of 3, still with 12 dots.

3 × 4 = 4 × 3 = 12

This is the commutative property of multiplication, but a child does not need the formal name before using it. “Flip fact” or “mirror twin” works perfectly well.

The two stories are not identical. Three bags with four apples is a different grouping from four bags with three apples. The total is identical, which is why one learned fact answers both equations.

On a 1 to 10 chart, flipping removes almost half the work. Learn 6 × 7 and 7 × 6 comes free. Square facts such as 6 × 6 sit on the mirror line, so they have no different twin.

Learn the easy multiplication facts first

Easy facts are anchors for working out the harder ones. Start with ×0, ×1, ×10, ×2 and ×5, in roughly that order, then add the mirror versions.

Shortcut 2: Anything times zero is zero

Zero groups of 7 contains no objects: 0 × 7 = 0. Seven groups of zero also contains no objects: 7 × 0 = 0.

Children sometimes overgeneralise and answer 7 when they see a zero. Return to the story: “There are zero bags. How many apples can be in all the bags?”

Shortcut 3: Anything times one stays itself

One group of 7 is 7, so 1 × 7 = 7. This is called the identity property: multiplying by one leaves a number unchanged.

Flip it and 7 × 1 is seven groups with one in each, which is also 7.

Shortcut 4: For ×10, use place value (don't just say "add a zero")

Seven groups of ten make seven tens: 7 × 10 = 70. With whole numbers, the familiar pattern is that the digits move one place to the left and a zero appears in the ones place.

“Add a zero” is a handy visual reminder for whole-number facts, but place value is the reason. Saying that makes the rule easier to extend later, when multiplying decimals by 10 does not simply mean attaching a zero.

Shortcut 5: For ×2, double it

Multiplying by 2 means making two equal copies: 2 × 7 = 7 + 7 = 14.

If a child is not yet confident with doubles, pause and practise them as addition facts first. Knowing double 3 through double 12 pays for an entire multiplication family and becomes the engine for ×4, ×6 and ×8.

Shortcut 6: For ×5, count by fives or take half of ×10

The ×5 products alternate between endings of 5 and 0:

5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40...

Skip counting makes the pattern audible. For a faster calculation, use ten: since 5 is half of 10, 5 × 8 is half of 10 × 8, so it is half of 80, or 40.

A useful self-check is that a whole number multiplied by 5 must end in 0 or 5. An answer of 42 cannot be right for a ×5 fact.

Use doubles to learn the 4s and 8s

Shortcut 7: For ×4, double, then double again

To find 4 × 7, double 7 to get 14, then double 14 to get 28.

4 × 7 = double(double 7) = 28

The array explains why. Four rows can be split into two pairs of rows. Each pair is 2 × 7, so 4 × 7 is 14 + 14.

Shortcut 8: For ×8, double three times

Eight is 2 doubled, then doubled again. To find 8 × 6:

6 → 12 → 24 → 48

That is 6 doubled three times. For children who find three steps hard to hold in working memory, use a nearby ten instead: 8 × 6 = 10 × 6 − 2 × 6 = 60 − 12 = 48. Both routes are correct; use the one that feels easier.

Build the 3s, 6s and 7s from friendly facts

Shortcut 9: For ×3, double and add one more group

Three groups are two groups plus one group:

3 × 8 = 2 × 8 + 1 × 8 = 16 + 8 = 24

Skip counting by 3 helps a child notice the sequence, but “double plus one more” connects every ×3 fact to knowledge they already have.

Shortcut 10: For ×6, use ×5 plus one more group

To find 6 × 7, start from the friendly 5 × 7 = 35 and add one more 7:

6 × 7 = 5 × 7 + 1 × 7 = 35 + 7 = 42

Another route is to find 3 × 7 and double it. Encourage children to compare strategies instead of insisting on one official trick.

Shortcut 11: For ×7, use ×5 plus ×2

There is no single magical pattern that makes every 7 fact instant. The dependable strategy is to split 7 into friendly parts:

7 × 8 = 5 × 8 + 2 × 8 = 40 + 16 = 56

For the famously stubborn 7 × 8, the number-order mnemonic can help after the reasoning makes sense: 5, 6, 7, 8 reminds us that 56 = 7 × 8. A mnemonic is a memory hook, not an explanation, so keep the array or split fact underneath it.

The 9 times table tricks

Shortcut 12a: Think ×10 minus one group

Nine groups are ten groups with one group removed:

9 × 7 = 10 × 7 − 1 × 7 = 70 − 7 = 63

This is more powerful than a pattern because it explains every ×9 fact. It is also the same break-apart idea used for the 7s and 8s, this time with subtraction.

For ×9 facts from 1 to 10, there is a useful check: the tens digit increases while the ones digit decreases, and the two digits in the product add to 9.

09, 18, 27, 36, 45, 54, 63, 72, 81, 90

The digit-sum pattern checks an answer, but it cannot choose the answer by itself. Both 54 and 63 have digits that add to 9. Use ×10 minus one group to calculate.

Shortcut 12b: The 9s finger trick

Hold up ten fingers and number them from left to right. To find 9 × 4, lower finger 4. There are 3 fingers to its left and 6 to its right, so the answer is 36.

• 9 × 2: lower finger 2 → 1 finger left, 8 right → 18
• 9 × 7: lower finger 7 → 6 fingers left, 3 right → 63
• 9 × 10: lower finger 10 → 9 fingers left, 0 right → 90

Why does it work? For 9 × 4, the 3 fingers on the left mean three tens, or 30, and the 6 on the right make 6 ones. More generally, the left side is always one less than the multiplier and the right side completes the digits to 9. It is the ×9 pattern built into ten fingers.

The finger trick only covers 9 × 1 through 9 × 10. That is fine. Fingers are a legitimate temporary strategy, especially when a child can also explain the ten-minus-one idea behind the fact.

Bonus tricks for the 11 and 12 times tables

Many schools stop fluent one-digit facts at 10, while others learn tables through 12. These two families do not require a fresh start.

For 11 × 1 through 11 × 9, repeat the digit: 11 × 4 = 44 and 11 × 8 = 88. The reason is 10 × 8 + 1 × 8 = 80 + 8. Treat 11 × 10 = 110, 11 × 11 = 121 and 11 × 12 = 132 separately rather than stretching the repeated-digit trick past its limit.

For ×12, use ×10 plus ×2:

12 × 7 = 10 × 7 + 2 × 7 = 70 + 14 = 84

This is exactly the same strategy as 7 × 12 because mirror facts still work.

The master trick: break multiplication apart

Most multiplication shortcuts are one idea wearing different clothes: split one factor, multiply the parts, then combine them. The formal name is the distributive property.

Here is a complete strategy map using 7 as the other factor:

The child does not need to learn all these routes at once. Choose one strategy, model several examples, and ask the child to explain the split. In the tool, use Break it apart and drag the dividing line across an array. The symbols then describe something the child has already seen.

Treat square facts as landmarks

Square facts use the same factor twice and make literal squares as arrays. They form the diagonal of a multiplication chart:

1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81, 100, 121, 144

These are useful landmarks. If 7 × 7 = 49 is known, then 7 × 8 is one more group of 7, or 56. If 8 × 8 = 64 is known, then 8 × 7 is one group of 8 less, also 56.

That “one more or one less group” move is called using a near fact:

• 6 × 8 is one group of 8 more than 5 × 8: 40 + 8 = 48.
• 7 × 8 is one group of 8 less than 8 × 8: 64 − 8 = 56.
• 9 × 6 is one group of 6 less than 10 × 6: 60 − 6 = 54.

Near facts turn the chart into a connected neighbourhood instead of a list.

Multiplication and division are one fact family

One array can answer four equations. If 7 × 8 = 56, then:

• 8 × 7 = 56
• 56 ÷ 7 = 8
• 56 ÷ 8 = 7

Once a multiplication fact feels secure, ask a missing-factor question: “Seven times what equals 56?” Then connect it to division. This makes every remembered product do more work and prepares children for fractions and long division.

A 15-minute multiplication practice routine

Long drills are not necessary. What matters is returning to a small set often enough that the child has to pull each answer back from memory.

See it

Choose one fact and build it with buttons, blocks or the tool. Move between groups, an array and number-line jumps. Ask the child to tell a tiny story that matches it.

Find a route

Work on only three to five target facts. Ask, “Which easier fact could help?” Let the child flip, double or split. Write both the strategy and the full equation.

Retrieve

Hide the model and ask the target facts out of order. Include mirror versions. After an error, give the answer calmly, rebuild or split it, have the child say the correct equation, and bring that fact back after two or three others.

Mix and finish well

Mix the new facts with a few secure ones, or use one round of Practice in the tool. Its round asks ten questions across a focus set of five facts. Facts answered correctly twice in a row fill in on the chart, while missed facts are more likely to return in a later round.

Stop while attention is still good. Five focused days usually teach more than one exhausting session followed by avoidance.

Skip counting, flashcards, songs and timed tests

These tools can help, but each has a best use.

Skip counting reveals a table's sequence and matches jumps on a number line. It is an excellent bridge into ×2, ×5 and ×10. Move beyond always starting at the beginning, though. If a child must recite “6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48” to answer 8 × 6, the answer is still fragile.

Flashcards work best for retrieval, not first teaching. Use a small deck, ask the child to explain a strategy after a hesitation, and place missed cards back into the near future. Include equations both ways round. Avoid spending most of the session repeating facts already known.

Songs and chants are good at storing a sequence. They can be especially helpful for children who remember rhythm and language easily. Occasionally pause at a random fact so the child learns to access one answer without singing the whole song from the start.

Timed practice can build pace after facts are understood and mostly accurate. Keep it brief and let the child compare with their own earlier result, not with another child's. If a timer produces guessing, freezing or distress, remove it. Fluency means a correct, efficient answer with a usable strategy, not panic at a stopwatch.

Questions that teach more than “What is the answer?”

Parents and educators do not need a new worksheet for every session. Better prompts often reveal exactly what a child knows:

• “Can you show that fact as equal groups?”
• “What would its mirror twin be?”
• “Which fact nearby do you already know?”
• “Could you use 5 groups and some more?”
• “Could you use 10 groups and subtract?”
• “Can you find a second way?”
• “How do you know the answer is reasonable?”

Wait a few seconds before helping. If the child answers 8 × 7 with 54, ask for a reasonableness check: it must be more than 5 × 7 = 35 and less than 10 × 7 = 70; because the factor 8 is even, the product must also be even. These checks do not supply 56, but they catch an impossible answer and keep number sense involved.

Common multiplication mistakes to avoid

Starting with the full chart. It hides the patterns and makes every box look equally difficult. Cross off known families and mirror twins first.

Teaching too many tricks at once. A dozen clever rules can overload the very child they are meant to help. Teach one relationship, practise it, then add another.

Treating a trick as magic. “Add a zero” and the 9s finger trick are memorable, but show the groups, array or place-value reason too. A rule with a reason transfers to unfamiliar facts.

Correcting only the final number. An answer of 42 for 6 × 8 might come from a counting slip, a confused fact or no multiplication concept at all. Ask, “Show me how you got it.” The method tells you what to teach next.

Taking strategies away too early. Drawing an array, using fingers for the 9s or deriving 7 × 8 from 5 × 8 is not cheating. These are bridges to recall. Speed usually arrives because the route is used repeatedly.

Making speed the first goal. Accuracy and an explainable strategy come first. Add time pressure later and only if it helps rather than shuts the child down.

If multiplication facts are not sticking

First find the layer that is difficult.

• If equal groups are unclear, return to real objects and small facts such as 3 × 4.
• If the child loses track while skip counting, use an array so all groups remain visible.
• If ×4 and ×8 are hard, strengthen addition doubles.
• If many strategies are remembered but mixed up, keep only one cue card visible at a time.
• If a fact can be worked out but not recalled, use short, spaced retrieval with a tiny target set.
• If the child knows facts in order but freezes when they are mixed, practise choosing strategies and asking facts out of sequence.

Persistent difficulty does not mean laziness or low mathematical ability. A child may need more concrete instruction, more processing time, fewer items on a page or help with underlying number sense and working memory demands. If the difficulty is broad, long-lasting or causing real distress, compare notes with the child's teacher or learning-support professional so practice can match what the child needs.

Multiplication tables: Frequently Asked Questions

Sources and further reading

• Grade 3 Operations and Algebraic Thinking, Common Core State Standards Initiative - equal groups, arrays, properties of multiplication, division relationships and fluency expectations.

Once multiplication starts looking like a network of related facts, other parts of mathematics open up. Make equal parts visible with fractions and LEGO, or explore how doubling can solve the Tower of Hanoi.

Till next time, enjoy multiplying!