Times tables are one of the most common sources of homework-related conflict in primary school households. Children who struggle find them embarrassing. Parents who remember their own struggle find them frustrating to teach. And the traditional method — chanting times tables in sequence — turns out to be much less effective than most people assume.
Here's what actually works, based on the research into how memory and learning function.
Why chanting doesn't work (or at least, not enough)
Chanting times tables in order — "one seven is seven, two sevens are fourteen, three sevens are twenty-one" — builds what psychologists call sequence memory. The child can recite the sequence, but when presented with a random question like "what's 7×8?" they have to mentally run through the sequence to find the answer. Under the time pressure of the Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check (6 seconds per question), this simply isn't fast enough.
Effective times tables practice builds fact retrieval — the ability to produce an answer directly, without calculation. This requires a different kind of practice: random, mixed, and repeated over time.
The 10-minute daily habit
The most powerful thing you can do is establish a 10-minute daily practice habit rather than one long session per week. Memory consolidation requires sleep — facts practised daily have multiple overnight consolidation cycles, while facts practised once weekly have only one. Daily beats weekly by a significant margin even if total practice time is the same.
Ten minutes before school, after dinner, or as part of a homework routine works well. The key is consistency rather than length.
Which tables to focus on
Most children find 2, 5 and 10 times tables easy — they learned these in Year 2. The tables that cause most difficulty and take longest to automate are 6, 7, 8 and 9. These are also the tables that appear most frequently in the MTC (Multiplication Tables Check).
A sensible practice sequence for a Year 3 or 4 child:
- Start with 3 and 4 times tables if not secure
- Move to 8 times tables (many children find doubling helps here)
- Then 9 times tables (the finger trick is useful as a stepping stone)
- Then 6 and 7 times tables — the hardest for most children
- Finally 11 and 12
Practical activities that work
Mixed random flashcards — physical cards work well. Pick 10 random questions each day, shuffled. The child attempts each one before seeing the answer. This builds retrieval rather than sequence recall.
The "three piles" method — sort cards into "know it", "getting there" and "not yet". Focus daily practice on the "not yet" pile until it shrinks.
Online timed practice — the free Times Tables Check tool on this site mirrors the exact format of the real MTC with DfE-weighted question distribution. Regular practice in test conditions builds both the knowledge and the confidence to perform under time pressure.
Games at mealtimes — "I'm thinking of a times tables question, what's 8×7?" works well at dinner when there's no pressure. Casual retrieval practice in a relaxed context is surprisingly effective.
What to do when a child is really stuck
Some children have genuine difficulty with times tables that goes beyond practice. If a child has been practising regularly for months and still can't retain specific facts, it's worth considering:
- Whether there's an underlying difficulty with number sense or working memory that needs specialist support
- Whether the practice method is genuinely varied (not just the same approach repeated)
- Whether anxiety is interfering — high anxiety impairs working memory, creating a cycle where the pressure of not knowing makes it harder to learn
Reducing the stakes — framing practice as a game rather than a test — often helps more than increasing practice time.
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