At a glance
- Target
- All tables to 12 × 12 by end of Year 4
- Year 2
- 2, 5 and 10 tables
- Year 3
- 3, 4 and 8 tables
- England's Year 4 check
- 25 questions, 6 seconds each
- Daily practice
- 5 to 10 minutes
When each table is expected (national curriculum for England)
| Year group (age) | Tables | What the curriculum asks for |
|---|---|---|
| Year 2 (6 to 7) | 2, 5, 10 | Recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 2, 5 and 10 tables, including recognising odd and even numbers |
| Year 3 (7 to 8) | 3, 4, 8 | Recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 3, 4 and 8 tables |
| Year 4 (8 to 9) | All to 12 × 12 | Recall multiplication and division facts for tables up to 12 × 12; by the end of Year 4 pupils should have memorised them |
| Years 5 and 6 | All, applied | Use the tables in long multiplication, division, fractions, factors and multiples |
Source: Department for Education, mathematics programmes of study for key stages 1 and 2. Schools in the Gulf that follow the English national curriculum use the same year groups.
Why speed matters, and the Year 4 check
Times tables are not a goal in themselves. They are the facts every later topic leans on: long division, equivalent fractions, area, factors and percentages. A child who works out 7 × 8 by counting up in sevens can get the right answer, but uses up the working memory they need for the rest of the problem.
In England, Year 4 pupils sit a short online multiplication tables check each June. Each child gets 25 questions of the form 'a × b =', and has 6 seconds to type each answer. There is no pass mark; schools receive a score out of 25. The check gives extra weight to the 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 tables because these are the hardest. Schools in the Gulf are not part of England's statutory testing, but the 6-second standard is a useful benchmark for what 'knowing' a table means.
An order that uses patterns
Learning in this order means each new table leans on one your child already knows.
| Order | Table | Pattern to use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10, 2, 5 | 10 adds a zero; 2 is doubling; 5 is half of 10 times (6 × 5 = half of 60 = 30) |
| 2 | 4 and 8 | 4 is double 2; 8 is double 4 (7 × 8 = double 7 × 4 = double 28 = 56) |
| 3 | 3 and 6 | 6 is double 3 (7 × 6 = double 21 = 42) |
| 4 | 9 | 10 times minus one lot (7 × 9 = 70 - 7 = 63); digits of the answer add to 9 |
| 5 | 11 and 12 | 11: repeat the digit up to 9 × 11; 12 is 10 times plus 2 times (7 × 12 = 70 + 14 = 84) |
| 6 | 7 | By now only 7 × 7 = 49 is genuinely new; every other 7 fact is already known from another table |
Worked example: deriving a fact you have forgotten
Your child cannot remember 8 × 7. Three ways to get there in a few seconds, each worth teaching:
- Double, double, double: 7 × 2 = 14, × 2 again = 28, × 2 again = 56. So 8 × 7 = 56.
- Use a neighbour: 7 × 7 = 49, then add one more 7: 49 + 7 = 56.
- Split the 8: 5 × 7 = 35 and 3 × 7 = 21; 35 + 21 = 56.
- Then turn it round: if 8 × 7 = 56, then 7 × 8 = 56, 56 ÷ 7 = 8 and 56 ÷ 8 = 7. One fact gives four.
A four-week plan for one table
| Week | Daily 5 to 10 minutes | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Count up and down in the table aloud; build it from a known table using the pattern | Say the table in order without help |
| 2 | Mixed-order questions from this table only, spoken or on cards | Answer any fact in under 5 seconds |
| 3 | Division facts from the same table (42 ÷ 6, 42 ÷ 7) | Answer divisions as fast as multiplications |
| 4 | Mix this table with all earlier ones; short timed rounds | 25 mixed questions with almost no hesitation |
Revisit earlier tables for one minute every day so they stay fast.
Common mistakes
- Chanting the table from the start to reach a fact. Recall should jump straight to 6 × 8, not count up to it.
- Long practice sessions once a week. Five minutes a day beats an hour on Saturday.
- Practising only in order. Tests and real problems ask facts out of order.
- Ignoring division. 'What times 6 is 48?' is part of knowing the 6 table.
- Moving on before a table is fast, so the next one is built on shaky facts.
- Muddling 6 × 8 = 48 and 7 × 8 = 56, and 6 × 9 = 54 and 7 × 8 = 56. Practise these pairs side by side.
How a tutor helps with times tables
Most children can learn tables with short daily practice at home, and a tutor is not needed for that alone. Where one-to-one lessons help is when a child has fallen behind, is anxious about speed, or knows facts in order but freezes on mixed questions. In a lesson the tutor quickly finds which facts are slow, teaches the pattern behind each one on the shared whiteboard, and uses games and quick-fire rounds so practice does not feel like a chore. The rest of the lesson then applies the facts to the child's current class work, such as division or fractions, so the tables are used rather than just recited.
Self-check: can your child answer these in 6 seconds each?
- 7 × 8 (56)
- 9 × 6 (54)
- 12 × 7 (84)
- 72 ÷ 8 (9)
- What times 4 is 36? (9)
- 11 × 12 (132)
Common questions
By what age should my child know all their times tables?
In the national curriculum for England, by the end of Year 4, which is age 8 to 9. Other curricula set different years, so check your school's scheme of work if it does not follow the English curriculum.
Which times tables are hardest?
The 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 tables. England's multiplication tables check gives them extra weight for that reason. Learning them through doubling and the 10 times table makes them much easier.
Are apps and games enough?
They help with speed and motivation, especially for 5 to 10 minutes a day. Pair them with saying facts aloud, writing division facts and using tables in real problems, so the facts are understood and not just tapped.
Does my child in Dubai or Doha take the multiplication tables check?
The check is a statutory assessment for schools in England. British-curriculum schools in the Gulf are not required to run it, though some use similar checks. Ask the school how it tracks tables.
How much do LiveTutor primary maths lessons cost?
Every lesson is one to one, online and 60 minutes, at one flat rate of $15 a lesson. Families choose a weekly plan of 1 to 5 lessons billed monthly, and the first lesson is a free trial.
Sources
Dates and figures on this page come from these official and published sources. Always confirm deadlines on the official page before acting on them.