Reciting a table in order does not mean a child can answer “7 × 8” out of the blue. Lasting recall comes from questions in random order, repeated often in short bursts, and a spinning wheel produces exactly that kind of shuffle.
Every multiplication shows the answer after the spin, along with a trick for its table: doubling for the 2s, finger counting for the 9s, the sequence 5, 6, 7, 8 for 7 × 8. The variants follow the usual order: 2 to 5, then 6 to 9, then a mix that goes up to 12 × 12, the level expected in many English-speaking schools.
How to use it
- Start with the 2 to 5 variant and only move on once answers come quickly.
- Spin the wheel, allow five seconds to answer in your head, then read the result and the tip.
- Jot down any you got wrong: those are the ones to revisit tomorrow.
- Ten spins a day is plenty; two minutes every evening beats half an hour on Sunday.
All the options
- 2 × 6
- = 12. The 2 times table is doubling: 6 + 6. Every answer in the 2s is even.
- 2 × 9
- = 18. To double 9, double 10 and take away 2.
- 3 × 4
- = 12. In the 3s, the digits of each answer add up to 3, 6 or 9 (here 1 + 2 = 3). Handy for checking.
- 3 × 7
- = 21. Count in threes on your fingers: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21.
- 3 × 9
- = 27. It is also 30 – 3: three tens minus one group of three.
- 4 × 6
- = 24. The 4s are double, then double again: 6 → 12 → 24.
- 4 × 8
- = 32. Double and double again: 8 → 16 → 32.
- 5 × 6
- = 30. Answers in the 5s always end in 0 or 5. With an even number, halve it and add a zero: 6 → 3 → 30.
- 5 × 7
- = 35. With an odd number, the answer ends in 5. It is also half of 7 × 10 = 70.
- 5 × 9
- = 45. Think of a clock: when the minute hand points to 9, it is 45 minutes past the hour.
Frequently asked questions
When do children learn their times tables?
In England, the national curriculum expects pupils to know all tables up to 12 × 12 by the end of Year 4, when they sit the statutory multiplication tables check. In the United States, the Common Core standards expect students to know all products of two one-digit numbers from memory by the end of Grade 3.
Which times table is the hardest?
Children most often get stuck on facts from the 6, 7 and 8 tables: 6 × 7, 6 × 8, 7 × 8, 8 × 7. Those deserve the most repetition, which is why they get their own variant.
How does the nine times table finger trick work?
Hold both hands flat in front of you. For 9 × 4, fold down the 4th finger from the left: 3 fingers remain on the left (tens) and 6 on the right (ones), giving 36. It works from 9 × 1 to 9 × 10.
How many facts do you really need to memorise?
Fewer than it seems. The 1s and 10s need no memorising, and 3 × 7 gives the same answer as 7 × 3. From 2 to 9 there are only 36 different facts; going up to 12 adds the 11s, which follow a pattern, and the 12s, which are the 10s plus the 2s.