Frustration returns once again.

The culprit: Math Homework.

Your child needs to complete an assignment about the 7 times table. After learning the 3's, all math confidence and understanding vanished. You point to numbers on the multiplication table and review how to read the math chart. It is no use. Your child stares helplessly at the paper, then at you, unsure of what to do.

It’s going to be another long night. Math homework will be half-heartedly completed, with minimal comprehension, by a child who would rather do anything other than multiply numbers together.

Is this scenario familiar? Continue reading for strategies and skills for your child to painlessly learn the math multiplication chart.

Break down the multiplication table into small segments

Trying to memorize 144 multiplication problems (if studying the multiplication table 1–12) can be difficult for anyone, especially an elementary-aged child. You can make learning the multiplication table achievable. Start by having several copies of the multiplication chart, like the printable multiplication table 1-12 available here.  

Build mathematical knowledge by breaking the table’s contents into small portions. Focus on one number’s times table before progressing to the next. On the printable multiplication chart, highlight or outline the section of the chart your child will be focusing on. For example, if your child is focusing on the 1's, highlight all products for 1 x 1 through 1 x 12. Once your child has mastered that content, use a new multiplication chart, and highlight all content for the 2 times table and then continue to the 3's.

Before moving on to the 4 times table, review each multiple for the 1's, 2's and 3's. Use this review as a checkpoint to determine if any content needs to be revisited. When your child confidently answers all equations within that grouping, then he or she can move to the next times table. Continue this process of learning and reviewing small segments of times tables. 

Also, be sure your child knows that the order of the factors does not matter in multiplication. The product is a number that will be larger than the two factors being multiplied together. For example, once your child understands that 3 x 6 = 18, there is no need to truly study the equation 6 x 3 = 18. Since the same two factors are used, just in different places, the answer should be instinctual.  

Practice every day

As with learning any new concept, and especially one that is a struggle, it is beneficial to review the content every day. Multiplication worksheets, like the one found here, provide necessary practice. Another option is to write out multiplication problems but leave either the product or one of the factors blank.

For example, a problem may be written as 2 x _ = 14. Your child must think “2 times what equals 14.” Encourage him or her to solve as many problems as possible without looking at a math table, though it should be provided if necessary.

To get additional exercise, your child can fill in numbers on a blank times table chart, like the blank printable multiplication table 1-12 found here. During this activity, your child will have to recall content, think about what has been learned, and remember patterns to fill in the multiplication grid.   

Just a few minutes each day of practicing multiplication problems will build your child’s foundational knowledge in math.   

Number patterns

Some numbers on the table of multiplication have patterns. Learning number patterns can greatly help your child understand how to multiply. These numbers are 2, 5, 9, and 10.

When determining products in the 2 times table, the product is the same as the sum of adding the other factor to itself (2 x 8 = 16 is the same as 8 + 8 = 16). For the 5 times table, the product of 5 times an odd number ends in 5, while the product of 5 times an even number ends in zero (5 x 3 = 15, while 5 x 4 = 20).

To solve multiplication problems using the number 9, each consecutive product results in the tens place going up one while the ones place goes down one (9 x 1 = 9, 9 x 2 = 18, 9 x 3 = 27, 9 x 4 = 36, and so on.).

Multiplying by 10 has the simplest pattern of all—just add a zero to the end of the other factor (10 x 1 = 10, 10 x 2 = 20, 10 x 3 = 30, 10 x 4 = 40, etc.).   

Skip-counting to learn multiplication

There are often tips and tricks to make academic content easy to grasp. This is true for the multiplication table 1–12. An educational website called Teachers Pay Teachers, which provides teacher-created resources for educators, provides a trick for conquering math times tables. That trick for multiplication table practice is to learn skip-counting.

The products from each number’s times table can be memorized by combining skip-counting with singing a familiar tune. Let’s say that your child is currently working on the 6 times table. Have him or her write equations from 6 x 1 = 6 through 6 x 12 = 72. Your child will then skip-count by singing each product (6, 12, 18, 24 through 72) to the tune of his or her favorite song.

The interactive nature of this activity paired with the familiarity of the tune positively reinforces the content and builds your child’s independence. Before you know it, your child will be confident in math.

Tackle those times tables

Now your child has effective tips to learn the times tables with ease.

Encourage your child by reminding him or her that, with practice and perseverance, mastery of the times tables chart is possible. The foundational knowledge of the multiplication table provides the confidence to approach future math content.

Which method will you share with your child first?

References:

Teachers Pay Teachers. “The Easy Way to Memorize Multiplication Tables.” 2022.  Retrieved 10 May 2022.  https://blog.teacherspayteachers.com/the-easy-way-to-memorize-multiplication-tables-amazing-hack/  

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