How to Learn Times Tables: Best Order and a 10-Minute Routine
If your child is in Year 2, 3 or 4, you have probably heard the words "times tables" a lot lately. Maybe there's a note in the school bag, or maybe your child has quietly decided they hate maths because the 7s and 8s won't stick.
Here is the good news. Times tables are not about being "a maths person". They are a skill, like riding a bike. They get easier with short, regular practice done in a sensible order. You don't need flash cards by the hundred or an hour at the kitchen table. Ten minutes a day is plenty.
This guide shows you the best order to learn them, why that order works, and a simple daily routine you can start tonight.
Why the order matters
Many children are taught the tables in number order: 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, and so on up to 12. That seems logical, but it isn't the easiest path. The 6s, 7s and 8s come in the middle and are much harder than the tables around them.
A better way is to start with the tables that have patterns, then use what your child already knows to work out the harder ones. Every new table should feel like a small step, not a leap.
Another big secret: there are far fewer facts to learn than it looks. Because 3 × 4 gives the same answer as 4 × 3, once your child knows one, they know both. By the time they reach the 7s, most of the facts are already in their head.
The best order to learn the tables
Here is a sequence that works well for most children in Years 2 to 4.
- 2s, 5s and 10s first. These are the friendliest. Counting by 2s, 5s and 10s is something many children already do. The 10s end in zero. The 5s end in 5 or 0. The 2s are just doubles (2 × 6 is 6 + 6).
- 4s next. The 4s are doubling the 2s, twice. If 2 × 6 = 12, then 4 × 6 = 24. Say it out loud: "double 12 is 24."
- 3s and then 6s. Learn the 3s on their own. Then treat the 6s as double the 3s. If 3 × 7 = 21, then 6 × 7 = 42.
- 8s as double the 4s. Double 4 × 7 = 28 and you get 8 × 7 = 56. Children who know their 4s well find the 8s much less scary.
- 9s with a trick. The 9s have lovely patterns (more on this below).
- 7s last. By now, almost every 7 fact has already been learned in another table. 7 × 2, 7 × 3, 7 × 4, 7 × 5, 7 × 6, 7 × 8 and 7 × 9 are all done. Only 7 × 7 is brand new. It's 49. That's it.
- 11s and 12s if needed. Year 4 classes often include these. The 11s are simple up to 9 × 11 (11, 22, 33...). The 12s are the 10s plus the 2s: 12 × 6 is 60 + 12.
Year 2 children usually focus on the 2s, 5s and 10s. Year 3 builds on to the 3s, 4s and 8s. Year 4 is where the full set comes together. Your child's school may move at a different pace, and that's fine. Follow the school's lead and use this order as a guide.
Understand it before you memorise it
Before a table becomes automatic, your child should know what it means. 4 × 6 is four groups of six. You can picture it as four rows of six biscuits on a tray, or a rectangle of dots with 4 rows and 6 columns.
Try this tonight: lay out 3 rows of 5 coins or Lego pieces. Ask, "How many altogether?" Count by 5s together: 5, 10, 15. Then write 3 × 5 = 15. A child who has seen it and touched it remembers it far longer than one who has only chanted it.
A few tricks that really help
Some patterns are worth teaching because they save effort.
- The 9s finger trick. Hold up both hands. For 9 × 4, fold down your fourth finger. You have 3 fingers on the left and 6 on the right. The answer is 36.
- The 9s digit pattern. The digits in the answers add up to 9: 18 (1 + 8), 27 (2 + 7), 36 (3 + 6). The tens digit goes up by one each time while the units digit goes down.
- Swap them around. If 8 × 3 feels hard, flip it to 3 × 8 or think 3 × 8 is 3 × 4 doubled.
- Near facts. If your child knows 5 × 7 = 35, then 6 × 7 is just 35 + 7 = 42.
A 10-minute daily routine
Short and regular beats long and rare. Pick a calm time that you can keep up every day, such as after dinner or in the car on the way to school. Here is a routine you can follow.
- Warm up (2 minutes). Count aloud by the table you're working on: 4, 8, 12, 16, up to 48. Then count backwards if your child is keen.
- Learn or review the new table (3 minutes). Work on one table only. Use an array, a pattern or a trick. Ask questions in a mixed order: "What's 4 × 7? What's 4 × 3? What's 4 × 9?"
- Mix with an old table (3 minutes). Quiz a table your child learned last week. This is what moves facts from "I can work it out" to "I just know it".
- Finish on a win (2 minutes). End with a few easy ones your child gets right. A round of 10s and 5s is perfect. They leave feeling capable, which makes tomorrow easier.
Stay on one new table for about a week before moving on. Keep older tables in the mix so they don't fade.
Making practice feel less like a chore
Children switch off when drills feel like a test. Try these instead:
- Roll two dice and multiply the numbers.
- Play a card game: flip two cards and call out the product, first to say it wins.
- Chalk a hopscotch grid and have your child skip-count as they jump.
- Ask quick questions in the car: "We have 6 packets of 4 muffins. How many muffins?"
- Let your child quiz you, and get one wrong on purpose. They love catching you out.
Praise effort and strategy, not speed. A child who says "I did 6 × 7 by doing 5 × 7 and adding one more 7" is thinking like a mathematician.
When to worry, and when not to
It's normal for the 6s, 7s and 8s to feel slow at first. If your child still counts on fingers in Year 3, that's okay. Give it time, keep practice short, and keep going back to the patterns.
If your child is in Year 4 and many tables still feel shaky, talk to the teacher. They can tell you which facts to focus on and how your child is going in class.
If you'd like extra support, StudyHop has short times tables practice that marks itself, so your child gets quick feedback and you can see which tables need more work in the parent reports. It works well as a gentle top-up alongside what you're doing at home.
Questions parents ask
How long does it take to learn all the times tables?
It varies a lot from child to child. Many children work through the set over a couple of school years. Ten minutes a day, with one new table a week or so and regular review, is a steady pace. Don't rush it.
Should my child learn them in order from 1 to 12?
It isn't the easiest way. Starting with the 2s, 5s and 10s, then building to the 4s, 3s, 6s, 8s, 9s and finally the 7s, lets each table use facts your child already knows.
My child knows the answers but is slow. Is that a problem?
Not at first. Accuracy comes before speed. Speed builds naturally with regular, short practice. Try not to add time pressure too early, as it can make children anxious and more likely to guess.
Are flash cards or songs better?
Both can help, and different children like different things. The important parts are understanding what the facts mean, practising in a mixed order, and doing a little every day. Use whatever your child enjoys.
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