Maths Guru
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Times Tables and Multiplication Games

Knowing times tables by heart is one of the biggest gifts you can give a child in maths, because it unlocks division, fractions, area and much more. Maths Guru makes the practice fast, varied and rewarding, so tables become automatic rather than a chore.

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What multiplication really means

Multiplication is repeated addition: 4 × 6 means four groups of six, which is 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 = 24. It can also be seen as an array of 4 rows with 6 in each row, and this picture shows why 4 × 6 and 6 × 4 give the same answer.

Children do not need to learn all 144 facts in the 12 times table separately. The 2s, 5s and 10s are easy starting points, and the rest follow from patterns. Doubling the 2s gives the 4s, doubling the 4s gives the 8s, and the 9s have a neat trick: 9 × 7 is 70 − 7 = 63.

The goal is automatic recall, meaning the answer comes without counting or calculating. That frees a child's thinking for harder tasks such as long multiplication, division and fractions, which all rely on those facts.

Common mistakes to watch for

Children often get stuck on a few stubborn facts, typically 6 × 8, 7 × 8 and 7 × 9. It helps to find these patterns in your child's mistakes and focus on them rather than rehearsing the whole table again. A useful memory aid is that 56 = 7 × 8 follows the number order 5, 6, 7, 8.

Another mistake is mixing up multiplication and addition, writing 6 × 4 = 10. Pictures of groups help here. A third is slipping on zero, such as thinking 7 × 0 = 7. Zero groups of seven is nothing.

With bigger numbers, children can forget place value. In 15 × 12, they might multiply 15 × 2 and then add 15 × 1 instead of 15 × 10. Splitting 12 into 10 and 2 shows that 150 + 30 = 180.

How to practise at home

Chant, sing or skip-count the tables. Many children learn tables by rhythm, and skip-counting (see our skip-counting page) is the same thing as saying the table aloud. Aim for a few minutes every day, mixing old tables with the new one.

Practise facts in random order, not just 1 times, 2 times, 3 times, because that is how tests and real life will ask. Flash cards or a simple dice game help, and so does asking "what's 7 × 8?" during car rides.

Link tables to division: if 7 × 8 = 56, then 56 ÷ 8 = 7. Learning each fact as a family of four (7 × 8, 8 × 7, 56 ÷ 7, 56 ÷ 8) quadruples the value of every memorised fact.

How Maths Guru teaches multiplication

Fire Shrine in Conquer the World is the multiplication island. In Year 1 to 2 it starts with the 2s and 3s and builds up to the 10s, with squares, missing-factor questions such as 7 × ? = 56 and three-factor products arriving in later levels. The Year 2 to 3 path extends to the 12 times table, and the Year 4 to 6 path moves on to larger factors in the twenties.

Time Skip's Basic tier puts times tables against the clock, which is a great way to build speed. Neon Clash's forge, Number Kingdoms (Gem Mines), Classroom quizzes and Shop Street's multi-buy customers all use multiplication too, and Memory Dash's Equation Echo asks children to recall multiplication facts after a short flash. KenKen puzzles combine tables with logical reasoning.

Worked examples

6 × 7

Answer: 42

Use 6 × 6 = 36 and add one more 6 to get 42. Or remember the rhyme: 6, 7, 42.

8 × 9

Answer: 72

Nine times a number is ten times minus one lot. 8 × 10 = 80, then take away 8 to get 72.

7 × ? = 56

Answer: 8

Think of the 7 times table: 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56. That is the 8th number, so the missing factor is 8.

12 × 4

Answer: 48

Split 12 into 10 + 2. Then 10 × 4 = 40 and 2 × 4 = 8, and 40 + 8 = 48.

5 × 6 × 3

Answer: 90

Multiply in an easy order: 5 × 6 = 30, then 30 × 3 = 90.

15 × 12

Answer: 180

15 × 10 = 150 and 15 × 2 = 30, so 150 + 30 = 180.

Tips for parents

  • Learn the 2s, 5s, 10s and 11s first, then the 4s, 3s, 6s, 9s, and leave 7s and 8s until last.
  • Pick the three or four facts your child gets wrong most often and drill only those.
  • Teach each fact as a family: 7 × 8 = 56, 8 × 7 = 56, 56 ÷ 7 = 8 and 56 ÷ 8 = 7.
  • Use the 9s finger trick, or 9 × n = 10 × n − n, to make that table easy.
  • Ten focused minutes a day beats an hour at the weekend.

Practise it in these games

Questions parents ask

When should children know their times tables?

In India, tables up to 10 are usually learnt in Classes 2 to 3, and in the UK children are expected to know the tables up to 12 by the end of Year 4 (age 9). Maths Guru lets children build up gradually at their own pace.

Which games in Maths Guru practise times tables?

Fire Shrine in Conquer the World is dedicated to multiplication. Time Skip, Neon Clash's forge, Number Kingdoms, Classroom and Shop Street all mix in multiplication facts as well.

Is it better to learn tables in order or in random order?

Start in order to see the pattern, then move on to random order as soon as possible, because that is how recall is actually used in tests and everyday life.

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