Time Tables Tips

[OverEagerDad]

Does anyone out there have any advice/tips on helping learn the times tables at KS2?

Does just learning them over and over and over work? Writing them out over just reading them?

Any help gratefully received!

OED

[ToadMum]

Does anyone out there have any advice/tips on helping learn the times tables at KS2?

Does just learning them over and over and over work? Writing them out over just reading them?

Any help gratefully received!

OED

Good old-fashioned chanting? Certainly fixed everything up to 12 x 12 forever in my mind - I cant imagine having to stop and actually work out 9 x 8, 11 x 11 etc, 50+ years down the line.

[kenyancowgirl]

Agreed - rote learning to get them fixed in the mind - and a reminder (you can use marbles or Skittle sweet type things) that 2 x 8 is the same as 8 x 2; 4 x 3 is the same as 3 x 4 (it is amazing how many children see them as completely separate things!!)

But practice makes perfect in the case of times tables and times tables are the answer to working quickly!

[hermanmunster]

In ye days of cassette players in cars, we had a times table singing tape - <can still hear it now>

Also used to chant them jumping on the bed... but this was more infant age, might not recommend it for larger juniors

[RedVelvet]

I think times tables can be really tricky for some children. I’d say 2 out of my 3 don’t know them rote style (both academically able). If I’m honest I don’t (and I have A level maths and a science degree and job). We can all calculate them very quickly, and that’s how they got through primary school tables tests. I think it’s particularly hard if you’re a person who relies on logic and understanding to learn things. At primary level I just told my children it was one of those hoops they had to jump through and they both calculated them quickly enough so that it didn’t hold them back.

[RedVelvet]

Also I remember making a grid up for them of 1 to 12 times. Then colouring in the ones they definitely knew. Providing you’re good with the easy ones 2,3,4,5,9,10,11 and 12. They’re only about 5 or 6 tricky ones.

[solimum]

I've used a random number generator app on my phone / ipad and set it to generate a number initially 1-100, then up to 144 - practice simple things like "is it odd or even?" "so if it's even you can halve it" , then learn the "tricks" for if numbers divide by 5, 3 or 9, make sure the square numbers are familiar, understand that some numbers are prime - so that the times tables are set in a context, they can work backwards from knowing their 10s, 9s etc.

[Moon unit]

My advice would be to learn them slowly.
I think it goes wrong if there is a rush to make progress.
We did used to do them on car journeys etc.
If they have an ipad I would do them on Quizlet.
Our favourite mnemonic was the following;
Eight eights are sixty four. I ate and I ate and was stick on the floor!

[yoyo123]

Lots of games online. I used them a lot.
Try Sheppard Software, they have some really good ones, if you goggle times tables games online, there are loads of sites which have free games and you can often find times tables colouring sheets.

Bingo and pairs games are good too, you can make your own. Try to include the division facts too.

[turnip08]

As has been mentioned before, a CD used in the car (with songs, rhymes) always a good idea though kids might find it a bit tedious after a while. Online games good too for consolidation but there is nothing like 'rote' learning the tables.

We used to play a simple catching game in the kids' bedroom at night. For example, we'd do it so that I would ask 10 random time table questions (or we might focus on one particular table, e.g. 9s or 4s etc). After that I would throw x number of balls before the next round of time table questions. I think doing some of these things just before bedtime is good as the brain processes/consolidates factors at night. It made it less boring too.

Yahtzee is a brilliant and easy dice game for this too - and one we would take with us on holiday or play when going out for meals, in between courses.

If the school doesn't do time tables tests weekly, it might be worth going online to find the multiplication generator where you can chose a mixture of tables or specific ones (including division facts - equally important for consolidation I find) which can be printed out for your child to complete.
You can then together check how quickly he/she does it and then see if they can improve on both accuracy and speed.

Good luck!