Times tables tips and printables

Use these times tables tips and printables to learn times tables in a fun way!

 

 

Times tables tips and printables

Learning times tables is a key building block in math skills.

As children develop their math, moving on to working with decimals, fractions, percentages, long division and more, they’ll find that knowing their times tables gives them a big advantage.

If you know your times tables and can recall the patterns quickly and easily you’ll be able to devote your concentration to the more complex math skills you’re working on and not keep getting tripped up because you don’t know what 7 times 8 is.

Some children find it fairly easy to memorise and recall their multiplication tables, others find it very difficult. Our brains work in many different ways and times tables are one area where you might notice your child particularly struggles. Bright, intelligent, creative kids can still sometimes find times tables a real challenge.

One way we can help our children to learn times tables is to offer a variety of ways to work on them. Some children love to sing them, some need to see the patterns, some need a tactile or active way to learn.

For all children, having a range of different times tables activities helps them get the repetition practice they need, in fun and engaging ways.

Try these times tables activities!

 

 

Skip counting activities

Use your whole body to learn the times tables with these fun skip counting activities.

 

 

Sensory times table station

Set up a sensory times tables station where your children can access and practice with a variety of times tables activities.

Use salt or sand in a shallow tray to make a sensory writing tray where they can write out the times tables with their finger or a pencil.

 

Times table anchor chart printables

Add in my free times tables anchor chart printables, so children can refer to them as they work. 

You’ll find sets for the the two to twelve times tables – see below for details on how to print them.

You can use the anchor charts:

:: above your sensory writing tray, so children can use them as a learning guide to copy out each sequence as they say or sing them aloud. Click here to see the best songs to use for learning times tables.

:: for hopscotch-style games. Cut up the individual rectangles of the times table cards and stick them in order along the floor. Your children can jump or stomp on them every time they pass, practicing the times tables sequence with their whole body. 

:: stick the individual tiles of the cards up on the wall and have your children use their hands to splat each answer as you call out times tables questions.

 

 

Use unit blocks to build times tables

When they’re starting out, children need to see and understand the times table. Using unit blocks is perfect for this. Have them build sets of unit blocks  – in our example we’re using sets of three – and lay them out along the times table anchor cards, so they can see how all the threes add up to make the numbers in the three times tables sequence. Multiplication is addition!

 

 

Fill-in-the-gaps- times tables practice sheets printable

You can include copies of my fill-in-the-gaps times tables sheets printables in your multiplication center. These sheets help children learn their times tables by getting them to remember the numbers bit by bit. 

These sheets are great to use once you have introduced the times table and built the sequence out of unit blocks. The sheets help to bridge the gap from visual and hands on activities to knowing the times tables in your head.

 

 

Sing your times tables

Another excellent way to memorise times tables is to sing them. Try these easy times table songs.