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
- 6 × 6
- = 36. In the 6s, multiplying by an even number gives an answer ending in that number (6 × 4 = 24, 6 × 6 = 36, 6 × 8 = 48).
- 6 × 7
- = 42. Take 6 × 6 = 36 and add one more 6. One of the most often missed facts, so revisit it regularly.
- 6 × 8
- = 48. The even-number rule for the 6s: the answer ends in 8.
- 6 × 9
- = 54. In the 9s, the tens digit is one less than the multiplier (6 – 1 = 5) and the two digits add up to 9.
- 7 × 4
- = 28. The 7s look scary, but if you know the other tables, 7 × 7 is the only new fact, since 7 × 4 = 4 × 7.
- 7 × 7
- = 49. The only square in the 7s. It sits just below 50: 7 × 7 = 50 – 1.
- 7 × 8
- = 56. Write 5, 6, 7, 8 in order: 56 = 7 × 8.
- 7 × 9
- = 63. In the 9s: tens digit 7 – 1 = 6, and 6 + 3 = 9.
- 8 × 3
- = 24. The 8s are doubling three times: 3 → 6 → 12 → 24.
- 8 × 8
- = 64. It is the number of squares on a chessboard, 8 columns by 8 rows. Or double three times: 8 → 16 → 32 → 64.
- 8 × 9
- = 72. In the 9s: tens digit 8 – 1 = 7, and 7 + 2 = 9. Check with 8 × 10 = 80, minus 8.
- 9 × 3
- = 27. Finger trick: hands flat, fold down your 3rd finger from the left. 2 fingers remain on the left (tens) and 7 on the right (ones).
- 9 × 9
- = 81. The biggest answer up to 9 × 9. Shortcut: 9 × 10 = 90, minus 9.
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.