Remember when you were a child in school, and you were immediately intimidated by those worksheets with 100 multiplication questions? Sometimes it was even implied you needed to finished it in 1 minute because there was one person in your class who could do it (and you weren’t even sure if the teacher knew it all!!). It’s safe to say that studying and learning how to multiply are some of the hardest and most critical parts of a child’s learning process in mathematics. Not only does it open them up to learning more advanced concepts, such as division and factoring, it also encourages them to look at a math problem as a problem solving opportunity, even if they are not aware of it! Typically a math problem has a right or wrong answer, the route that you take to get there can vary from person to person. With that being said, here’s 10 tips for your times tables (say that 10 times fast). Why 10? Because everyone learns differently! Let’s hope one of these tips get passed on to your child!
1. Cut It Up
If you can mentally add the numbers, and know that it is going to be greater than 10, chances are you may want to break up the question. For example, the question 5×8=___, there are three steps to easily get the answer, using a mix of multiplication and addition. Firstly, choose something that you’re familiar with (i.e, 5×3=15). Now, 8-3=5, so all you’re left with is 5×5=25. Therefore, 15+25=40, the same as 5×8=40.
2. Use a Multiplication Chart
Remember these handy things? They are the most common tool for learning multiplication because it lays out all the questions AND answers. If a child is having a hard time understanding that 8×8 is just 8 more than 64, than this clearly shows them that it is, and why. Plus a great technique is to make patterns and see different re-occurrences, such as 6×7 being the same as 7×6. In addition to this, maybe your child remembered how to count by 3’s. Let them have that “ah-ha” moment we they realize that they nearly know all of the 3’s multiplication.
3. Remember The Doubles
Luckily on these handy multiplication sheets, there is a diagonal line that highlights all of the double multiplication questions, like 5×5, 6×6, 7×7, 8×8, etc. A great tip to excel in multiplication is remembering these questions. If you know that 6×6=36, 5×6=30. All you have to do is subtract 36-6=30! Now, you can easily find +/- 1 of each double, which covers 36 questions 🙂
4. Repeat Addition
It’s a given, that once numbers get bigger and bigger, the difficulty in regards to multiplying them only increases as well. But, a great trick is to split the numbers up to avoid doing more complex math. So, for the question 5×8=____, instead of counting to 5, 8 times on your hand – think of it like this: 5×4=20 + 5×4=20, therefore 20+20=40. This way you’ll be able practice your easier multiplication tables, which will help you tackle bigger ones.
5. Draw A Table (graph)
Some students are complete visual learners, in which this technique works the best. You can create the narrative in any way you want – i.e. sharing a sandbox, cutting a cake, etc. Basically, you need to start with a rectangle, and then add 8 rows of 5, or 6 rows of 9. This way the student can cut the squares in any way they would like. For example, 2 sections with 3 rows of 9 will help the student understand 6 rows of 9 better.
6. Use Your Hands
Yes, it actually helps – we promise! But, you can even go one step further than just counting on your hands, like using tricks to remember certain times tables. For example, for your 3’s multiplication, treat each section on the inside of your finger as an area. 1 between your palm and knuckle, the other between your two knuckles, and the last one for your finger tip. If you want to find out any of your 3’s multiplication, hold the amount of figures up (for example, 3×8= 24) Hold up 4 fingers on each hand and count the spaces!
7. Use What You Know
When is doubt, use what you know to solve a problem. This can include the doubles that you learned, the 3’s or 2’s. Instead of relying on tips and tricks (although sometimes they have the same benefits), it’s also important “reverse engineer” your problems to be able to arrive at a solution – this is one of the most important skills to have! For example, we have 8×9=___. If you know 9×3=27, and then that means 9×6=(27+27). Once you have 54 ( you can even look at 54 like (25 + 25 = 50) +(2+2) = 54), then you can add 9 twice, or 18 if you already know 9×2=18. When you add the results (54+18 = 72) you’re left with the correct answer.
8.Use Subtraction
It’s obvious that the 10’s or 11’s are easier to learn than the 8’s and 9’s because there are small tricks in the way of thinking of the answer (i.e. 10’s = add a zero, 11’s = add the same number to the end or the number). But, when working with medium sized numbers, it can be easier for you to subtract from something you already know. For example, if you want to find 7×9=___. You can remember 7×10=70, and subtract 1 group of 7 from that, to get you 63.
9.Know Each Numbers Trick
As mentioned in the last point, 10’s and 11’s are easy to find because of these tricks. The same as what we mentioned for 3’s. What’s left? 2’s (easy, just use addition), 4’s – just use what you have for 2 and double it, 5’s are easy to count on your hand, 6’s you can use finding 3’s…. The list goes on. There are many tricks to find each way to multiple – so get creative and try new things!
10. Practice Makes Perfect
Although there are some great tips and tricks for learning your multiplication questions and answers, there is no doubt that practice does make perfect! But, it doesn’t necessarily mean that memorizing your multiplication tables! Doing these problems again and again and finding unique ways to solve them every time will not only increase your ability to do multiplication, it will enhance your problem solving skills at a faster rate!
