Learning your times tables can feel like a daunting task. With a seemingly endless string of multiplications to memorise, it can be hard to know where to begin! Luckily, there’s a handy trick that makes times tables easy: learning them in a specific order.
Below, we explain the best order to learn times tables in, in line with the national curriculum. Armed with our recommendations, your child will soon be on the road to becoming a multiplications master!
Year 2 times tables
Learn the 2, 5 and 10 times tables
Year 2 is when children start to build their knowledge of times tables. In this year, learning the 2 times table, 5 times table and 10 times table will give them a great foundation for learning other times tables.
- We recommend starting off by learning the 2 times table. The 2 times table is a fantastic foundation block for learning other tables and will come in handy in maths more generally. For example, your child will soon realise that multiplying by 2 is the same as doubling!
- Once your child has a good understanding of the 2 times table, move on to the 5 times table and the 10 times table.
- As the 10 times table follows similar rules to the 5 times table, learning them in this order will help to build your child’s understanding of the number relationships in maths more generally.
Not sure how to help your child with learning the 2 times table? Check out these easy ways to learn each times table!
Year 3 times tables
Learn the 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 times tables
With lots of multiplications to learn in Year 3, learning them in a specific order can really help.
- The 4 times table is a great place to begin, as the number rules your child will have picked up from the 2 times table will come into play. To find 4 x 3, for example, they can work out 2 x 3 and double the answer!
- Next, move on to the 3 times table. This is where things can start to feel a little tricky, but fear not! Be sure to check out our fun ideas to help learn trickier tables. Using DoodleTables for 10 minutes a day is another great way to practise tricky tables.
- Once your child is comfortable with multiples of 3, introduce the 6 and 9 times tables. Be sure to highlight helpful number rules as they learn these multiplications. For example, if they were to double an answer from the 3 times table, they would have an equivalent answer for the 6 times table.
- After this, head to the 8 times table. By building on their understanding of the 2 and 4 times tables, learning this table should be fairly simple.
- Lastly, move on to the scary-seeming 7 times table. Although it may seem trickier than other tables, reassure your child that they’ll be able to master it. After all, they’ve already learned lots of other multiplications!
By using repetition and creative memorisation techniques, they’ll be able to learn it with practice, repetition and a little determination!
Year 4 times tables
Learn the 11 and 12 times tables
Although tables over 10 may seem daunting, fear not! Start with the 11 times table and then move on to the 12 times table, using these helpful tricks to help learn these tables.
With the knowledge of their other times tables in tow, reassure your child that they’re in the final stretch to becoming a times tables whizz!
Year 5 and 6 times tables
Putting times tables into practice
By these later years, pupils are challenged to apply the knowledge they’ve gained in maths more generally.
By regularly practising all of the times tables they’ve learned, they can keep their knowledge fresh and maintain their instant recall.
Playing the 60 Second Challenge in DoodleTables is a great way to do this. During the game, learners battle against the clock to see how many answers they can answer before time runs out!
By tailoring exercises to your child’s strengths and weaknesses, DoodleTables supports your child at every stage of their multiplications journey.
It can be used offline and is designed to be used for just 10 minutes a day, making it ideal for busy schedules! Why not download the app to try it for yourself today?
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