How to teach times tables: a simple 6-week plan with free worksheets

Knowing the times tables by heart is one of the most useful things a child can take from primary school. It makes fractions, division, area and mental math so much easier later on. The good news: it doesn't take hours of drilling. Ten focused minutes a day, in the right order, is enough for most children to learn every table up to 10 × 10 in about six weeks.

Here is a simple plan that works at home, with free printable times tables worksheets for every step.

Before you start: understand what multiplication means

Memorising works best when a child already understands that 3 × 4 means "three groups of four". Spend a day or two building groups with real things: Lego bricks, buttons, grapes. Ask "How many wheels on 4 cars?" and let them count in groups. Once the idea of equal groups clicks, the facts have something to stick to.

The best order to learn the times tables

Don't go 1, 2, 3, 4… in a row. Start with the easiest tables, because every fact learned there is also a fact in a harder table (2 × 7 is the same as 7 × 2).

10, 2 and 5: they follow clear patterns (ends in 0, even numbers, ends in 0 or 5).
1 and 11: almost free.
4 and 3: 4 is double 2, doubled again; 3 is just a few new facts.
9: has a famous trick (see below).
6, 7 and 8: by now only a handful of new facts remain.

Thanks to swapping (3 × 8 = 8 × 3), there are really only about 36 facts to learn, not 100.

A 6-week plan, 10 minutes a day

Week 1: the 2, 5 and 10 times tables

Count in 2s, 5s and 10s out loud while walking or on stairs. Then do one short sheet a day: choose times tables with 2, 5 and 10 and 10 problems.

Week 2: mix in 3 and 4

Teach 4 as "double, then double again": 4 × 6 is double 6 (12), doubled (24). Use tables 1 to 5 and keep going with 10 problems.

Week 3: the 9 times table tricks

Two tricks kids love: the tens digit is one less than the number you multiply by, and the two digits always add up to 9 (9 × 7 = 63, and 6 + 3 = 9). Or use the finger trick: hold up ten fingers, fold down the 7th, and you see 6 fingers on the left and 3 on the right: 63.

Week 4: 6, 7 and 8

Only a few facts are new by now: 6 × 6, 6 × 7, 6 × 8, 7 × 7, 7 × 8 and 8 × 8. Write them on sticky notes around the house. A rhyme helps with the hardest one: "5, 6, 7, 8: 56 is 7 × 8".

Week 5: everything mixed

Switch to all tables from 1 to 10 and 20 problems. Time each sheet and try to beat it next time, but compete only against yourself.

Week 6: division and speed

Every multiplication fact is also a division fact. If 6 × 7 = 42, then 42 ÷ 7 = 6. Mix in division worksheets to make the facts really solid, and try 1 to 12 if your school uses them.

Times tables games that actually work

Times tables snap: flip two playing cards and the first to say the product wins them.
Car quiz: one fact per red car or per traffic light.
Ball toss: throw a ball back and forth, counting up in 3s, 4s or 6s.
Teach the teacher: let your child "test" you, and make a few mistakes on purpose for them to catch.

Common mistakes to avoid

Too much at once. One new table at a time, mixed with ones already known.
Long sessions. Ten minutes daily beats an hour on Sunday.
Only chanting. Reciting "one seven is seven, two sevens are fourteen…" is a start, but children need to answer facts out of order too.
Pressure. Praise strategies ("you used doubling!") instead of speed alone.

Free printable times tables worksheets

The Kidsario math worksheet maker creates a new sheet every time, so your child never memorises the page instead of the facts. Pick the tables (2, 5 and 10, 1 to 5, 1 to 10 or 1 to 12), the number of problems, and tick "Add an answer page" so your child can check their own work.

Quick answers

At what age should kids know their times tables?

Most curricula introduce the 2, 5 and 10 tables around age 7 and expect all tables up to 10 or 12 to be fluent by age 9 or 10.

What is the fastest way to learn times tables?

Short daily practice in a smart order: 10, 2 and 5 first, then 3 and 4, then 9, then 6, 7 and 8. Use tricks and games, and always mix in tables already known.

Which times table is the hardest?

For most children the 7s and 8s, especially 7 × 8, 6 × 7 and 6 × 8. Give those a little extra attention.