Easy TwinTimes tables: how to help your child learn them
The times tables are the 100 multiplication facts from 1 × 1 to 10 × 10, and kids learn them fastest by using strategies (doubling, adding one more group, the 9s trick) before memorizing. Most US schools expect kids to know them from memory by the end of 3rd grade, and 4th graders use them every day for multi-digit multiplication and division.
What does it mean to know the times tables?
Knowing the times tables means answering a fact like 7 × 8 = 56 in a couple of seconds, without counting on fingers. That speed matters because bigger problems (multi-digit multiplication, long division, fractions) are built out of these facts, and a child who has to stop and count loses track of the bigger problem.
The good news: there are fewer facts to learn than it looks. Because 3 × 7 is the same as 7 × 3, and the 0s, 1s, 2s, 5s and 10s are quick, only a handful of facts (like 6 × 7, 6 × 8, 7 × 8 and 8 × 8) need real effort.
In most US schools, 3rd graders learn what multiplication means and work toward knowing all the single-digit facts by the end of the year, and 4th graders use them constantly. For a deeper plan, see multiplication fact fluency, and the multiplication topic guide for the bigger picture.
What does a times tables twin question look like?
Recalling a multiplication fact · Number answer
Original7 × 8 = ?
Twin6 × 9 = ?
Finding a missing factor · Number answer
Original? × 6 = 42
Twin? × 4 = 36
Finding an equal product · Multiple choice
OriginalWhich is equal to 9 × 4? A) 3 × 12 B) 5 × 8 C) 6 × 7 D) 2 × 16
TwinWhich is equal to 8 × 3? A) 4 × 7 B) 2 × 12 C) 5 × 5 D) 3 × 9
Solving an equal-groups word problem · Word problem
OriginalThere are 6 boxes with 8 crayons in each box. How many crayons are there in all?
TwinThere are 7 rows with 5 chairs in each row. How many chairs are there in all?
Illustrative examples of how Easy Twin mirrors a question. The app writes brand-new questions from your own worksheet each time.
What order should kids learn the times tables in?
Learn the easy families first and use them to build the hard ones:
- 2s, 5s and 10s. These are skip-counting and doubling, and most kids know them early.
- 9s. Use 10s and take one group away: 9 × 6 = 60 − 6 = 54.
- 4s and 8s. Double, double again: 4 × 7 is double 14, so 28. 8 × 7 is double 28, so 56.
- 3s and 6s. 3 × 8 is 2 × 8 plus one more 8: 16 + 8 = 24. 6 × 7 is 5 × 7 plus one more 7: 35 + 7 = 42.
- Squares and the last few. 6 × 6 = 36, 7 × 7 = 49, 8 × 8 = 64, then 7 × 8 = 56 ("5, 6, 7, 8: 56 = 7 × 8").
When a fact won't come, have your child build it from one they know rather than guess. Over time the building gets faster until the fact is simply remembered.
What times tables mistakes do kids make most?
Adding instead of multiplying
A child answers 6 × 8 with 14. They added the numbers. Ask them to draw 6 groups of 8 dots, or read the problem as "6 groups of 8," which makes it clear the answer has to be much bigger: 48.
Slipping while skip-counting
Counting by 7s to find 7 × 6, a child says "7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 43" and answers 43. One slip ruins the answer. Start from a known fact instead: 7 × 5 = 35, plus one more 7 is 42.
Mixing up neighboring facts
A child says 7 × 8 = 54, borrowing the answer to 6 × 9. Products close together blur. Check by building it: 7 × 8 is double 7 × 4, and 7 × 4 = 28, so 7 × 8 = 56.
How can you practice times tables at home in 10 minutes?
Short daily practice on a few facts works better than a long weekly drill on all of them.
- Minutes 1–3: one family, out loud. Pick this week's family (say the 6s) and have your child build each fact from the 5s: "5 × 6 is 30, plus 6 is 36."
- Minutes 4–8: ten mixed facts. Mix the new family with ones they already know: 6 × 4, 6 × 7, 3 × 8, 9 × 5, 6 × 8 and so on. Include two missing-factor questions like ? × 6 = 42.
- Minutes 9–10: hunt the hard ones. Put any fact that took more than a few seconds on a sticky note on the fridge for tomorrow.
Move to a new family once the current one comes quickly, and keep mixing in old ones.
Which grades practice times tables?
How can Easy Twin help with times tables?
Scan your child's multiplication worksheet and Easy Twin makes a twin with the same kinds of questions and new facts, so practice targets exactly the families the class is on. Every question comes with two hints and worked steps, visuals like tables and bar graphs are redrawn with new data, and your child can play the twin as a quest or you can print it with an answer key.
Frequently asked questions
What grade should kids know their times tables?
Most US schools expect kids to know all the multiplication facts up to 10 × 10 from memory by the end of 3rd grade. Many kids are still firming up the hardest facts in 4th grade, which is common.
What's the fastest way to learn the times tables?
Learn strategies first (doubling, the 9s trick, one more group), then practice a few facts a day until they're automatic. The turnaround rule (3 × 7 = 7 × 3) cuts the number of facts to learn nearly in half.
Which times tables are the hardest?
For most kids the hardest facts are in the 6s, 7s and 8s, especially 6 × 7, 6 × 8, 7 × 8 and 8 × 8. Give those extra attention once the easier families are solid.
Should my child use timed tests at home?
You don't need a timer to build speed. Short, frequent practice where your child builds unknown facts from known ones gets them fast without the stress.
Topic guide
Guides for parents
Long division at home: a step-by-step guide for parents
Long division is the same five steps repeated (divide, multiply, subtract, check, bring down) until there are no digits left, and a child who knows their multiplication facts can learn it in a couple of weeks of short practice. This guide walks through two fully worked examples, the partial-quotients method many schools teach first, the six most common mistakes, and a 10-minute-a-day plan.
How to Help With Math Homework When It's Taught Differently Than You Learned It
To help with math homework that's taught differently than you learned it, use the method printed on the page, ask your child to teach it to you, and find the worked example from class before you show your own way. Schools teach place-value strategies first so children understand why the steps work, and the standard algorithm usually follows a grade or two later. This guide shows side-by-side examples, what to say when you're stuck, and when to email the teacher.
Multiplication Fact Fluency: How Much Practice Is Enough?
For most children, enough multiplication fact practice means a few focused minutes on most days, spread over weeks, on facts they already understand, until they can answer accurately without counting. This guide explains the order to learn facts in, a weekly routine, how to use timed practice without stress, and how to tell when your child is ready to move on.
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