How to Help Your Child Learn Their Times Tables (Without Tears)
A calm, step-by-step plan for learning times tables at home: the best order to learn them, five-minute daily routines, and games that build fluency.
By the Bloomy Games team3 min readAges 7–9, Ages 10–12
Times tables are one of the first things in school that children are asked to know by heart — and for many families they are also the first homework battle. The good news: with the right order and a few minutes a day, almost every child gets there. Here is a plan that works whether your child is in grade 2 in the US, Year 3 in the UK or Year 3 in Australia.
Understanding comes before memorising
Before drilling facts, make sure your child knows what multiplication means: equal groups. 3 × 4 is three groups of four. Line up toy cars in rows, arrange biscuits on a plate, or draw dots. When a child can show you 3 × 4 with objects, the fact “12” has something to hang on.
The best order to learn the tables
Not all tables are equally hard. Starting with the easy ones builds confidence and shrinks the job quickly:
- 2s, 10s and 5s — they follow patterns children already know from counting.
- 3s and 4s — the 4s are just doubled 2s.
- 8s — doubled 4s.
- 9s — lots of finger tricks and patterns (the digits add up to 9).
- 6s and 7s — by now most of these facts are already known from other tables.
- 11s and 12s — if your curriculum goes up to 12 × 12 (as in the UK, Canada and Australia).
Five minutes a day, not an hour on Sunday
Memory research is clear: short practice spread over many days beats long sessions. A good routine is one quick round of a times-table game after school and one out-loud challenge in the car or at dinner. Times Table Turbo is built for exactly this — a round takes a few minutes and the difficulty adapts, so your child spends time on the facts they don’t know yet rather than the ones they do.
Make it a game, not a test
- Beat your own score. Competing with yesterday is motivating; competing with a sibling can backfire.
- Swap roles. Let your child quiz you — and get one wrong on purpose.
- Skip-count to music. Counting in 3s or 4s to a beat is surprisingly effective.
- Spot tables in real life. Egg boxes (2 × 6), wheels on cars (4s), packs of drinks.
When your child gets stuck
Most children have a handful of “sticky” facts — often 6 × 7, 7 × 8 and 8 × 6. Pick just one sticky fact a week, write it on a sticky note on the fridge, and celebrate when it sticks. If frustration builds, step back to easier tables for a few days; confidence matters more than speed.
Once facts are secure, use them in context. Story Sums turns multiplication and sharing into short word problems, which is where times tables really pay off — and it quietly introduces division.
What about speed tests?
Some schools use timed checks (in England, children take the Multiplication Tables Check in Year 4). Speed comes naturally once facts are secure, so focus on accuracy first. If timed tests cause anxiety, practise untimed at home and praise steady progress.