Fun Ways to Practise Times Tables at Home

Does your child get stuck on the same times table fact over and over again? Some multiplication facts seem to go in easily, while others just won’t stick! Every child finds different ones tricky – that’s completely normal.

If you’re wondering how to help with times tables at home, read on! We’ll give you lots of ideas to help learn and practise times tables at home, tips for tackling those tricky facts and suggest fun ways to build confidence and speed up recall.

So, why do schools put so much focus on times tables?

Times tables are the building blocks for so much of the maths that children will tackle next – from fractions and division to area and problem solving. If your child can crack their times tables, they’ll find everything else a lot easier! So it’s worth persevering.

By Year 4, children are expected to know all their times tables up to 12 × 12, and recall them quickly – something that’s put to the test in the Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check (MTC). But before you can build speed, you need to build confidence and understanding.

Want to understand more about the Year 4 multiplication test and how to support your child? Don’t miss our full guide: Everything You Need to Know About the Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check – it’s packed with parent-friendly advice, fun ideas and free times tables printables.

Times tables practice ideas in this blog…

• Times tables learning styles: Every child is different
• Creative ways to help times table facts stick
• Alternatives to rote learning times tables
• Times tables tricks and patterns
• Speed up times table recall
• Screen-free times table practice
• Fun online times tables practice
• How to help with the trickiest multiplication facts

Times tables learning styles: Every child is different

There’s no single best way to learn times tables – and what works for one child might be totally wrong for another. It’s all about finding what clicks for your child and building from there. They might:

• Need to see patterns (visual learner)
• Remember what they hear (auditory learner)
• Learn through doing (kinaesthetic learner)

So if chanting isn’t working, try movement. If writing them out is getting dull, try colour or music. Swapping things around keeps it interesting and helps different bits of the brain join in.

Creative ways to help times table facts stick

Before your child can work on speed, they need to build up familiarity. The aim here isn’t to race to the answer – it’s to help the facts settle in and start to make sense. These ideas will help your child see and hear the facts enough times that they begin to stick:

• Chant together – start slowly, add a rhythm, build up pace.
• Dance it: Use a repeating rhythm of three actions (like jump, clap, spin) and say the numbers as you go. Keep the pattern the same – the rhythm helps the facts land.
• Write them out – yes, you could use pen and paper but you could also… use chalk on paving slabs, whiteboard markers on windows, chocolate chips on cakes – try something different to make it fun and feel more like play!
• Sing it: Set tricky tables (like the 7s or 8s) to a simple tune – e.g. ‘1 x 7 is 7, 2 x 7 is 14…’ to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Silly? Yes. Effective? Also yes.
• Stick facts around the house – bathroom mirrors, bedroom doors, fridge doors.
• Make mistakes on purpose – see if they spot them!

Just make sure the facts are popping up regularly – little and often is the key.

Alternatives to rote learning times tables

Times tables are much easier to remember when children understand what’s going on – not just rattling off facts by heart. These hands-on activities help children see what multiplication really means. The more ways you bring the numbers to life, the easier they are to remember!

Try some of these times table ideas at home:

• Draw it out: Show multiplication as equal groups or arrays.
• Build it: Use real-life items (like cups and raisins, LEGO towers or coins) to build multiplication facts.
• Colour it: Create visual patterns with stars, stickers or blocks – e.g. 6 rows of 3 stars.
• Use fact families: Show how multiplication and division connect (e.g. 3 × 4 = 12, so 12 ÷ 3 = 4).

These kinds of multiplication activities help children build number sense and make math learning feel more like discovery and fun!

Times tables tricks and patterns

Children love a good trick – and spotting patterns in times tables can be a game-changer. It helps build confidence and makes some facts easier to recall quickly.

Here are some fun times table shortcuts to explore together:

• 2s: All answers are even.
• 4s: Double the 2 times table (2 × 6 = 12, so 4 × 6 = 24).
• 5s: Always end in 0 or 5.
• 6s: If multiplying by an even number, the answer ends in the same digit (e.g. 6 × 4 = 24, 6 × 8 = 48).
• 8s: The ones digits repeat in a loop – 8, 6, 4, 2, 0…
• 9s: The ten digits go up and the ones go down: 09, 18, 27, 36…
• 10s: Just add a 0!

Looking for times table patterns like these turns memorising into problem solving — and gives children more tools to work things out when they’re stuck.

Screen-Free Times Tables Activities at Home

Little and often is a great approach to learning times tables. Here’s a few ideas that are easy to fit in when you’ve got a few spare minutes…

• Make it part of your routine – ask just a couple of questions on the school run, in the car or at the dinner table.
• Cup match – Write a selection of numbers 0 to 9 on cups. You call out the question, they need to arrange the answer.
• Whiteboard sprints: Shout out “7 x 6!” and have your child write the answer on a mini whiteboard as fast as they can – then wipe and go again. Feels a bit like a game show!
• Times table bingo – You say the question, they find the answer
• Fact family chat: Turn one multiplication into four facts (e.g. 3×4=12 so 12÷4=3, 4×3=12, 12÷3=4)
• Use dice drills – Roll 2 or 4 dice to create random times table questions.
• Get them to test you too, can they catch you out?

Use Busy Things for fun online times tables practice

If your child loves screen time, make it count! Busy Things has a brilliant mix of fun games, interactive activities and tools to help:

• Miner Birds: Times Tables – A multiplayer game where speed = success
• Digital flashcards – Flip through at your own pace
• Interactive worksheets – Test multiples knowledge with instant feedback
• Printable grids and worksheets – Customisable, choose which tables to work on
• Dice gadget – Virtual dice for fast-fire practice

Everything’s designed to feel like play!

Speed up times tables recall

Once your child knows the facts, it’s time to work on the speed of recall. And that’s where games help:

• Flashcard races – How many can they answer in 60 seconds?
• Dice battles – Roll and multiply, fastest answer wins that round—play best of 10 for a quick burst of fun competition.
• Grid Time Trials – time how long it takes to complete a times table grid, can they beat their score?
• Progress Chart – Have a stack of times table worksheets (you can create your own on Busy Things! Check out the resource maker) and keep a track of how many they can answer in so many minutes. Great to see their progress and build confidence. Try out Busy Graph Maker to record the scores!

The aim here is quick, FUN practice! Introducing a clock or a head-to-head turns recall into a game of fluency ideal once the facts are familiar and you want to cement automatic recall

How to help with the trickiest times table facts

There’s nearly always a few facts that trip children up. Keep a note of the ones your child finds hardest, and focus extra attention there. But don’t forget to throw in some they know really well too – it’s a great confidence boost!

Some tables are naturally trickier than others – and different children struggle with different facts. There’s often that one that just won’t stick. (And funnily enough, those are usually the ones we still remember decades later!)

Here are some top tips for helping those pesky ones go in:

• Make up a silly rhyme or story to help it stick. E.g. “8 x 8 is 64 – ate and ate until I was sick on the floor.”
• Draw it in bubble writing and decorate it with colours, patterns or stickers.
• Turn it into a chant with actions or claps.
• Use props like building blocks or buttons to build the fact.
• Stick it somewhere obvious – lunchbox, bathroom mirror, the back of the car seat.

Little tricks like these help cement the tricky ones in place – and the sillier, the better!

Top Tips for Learning Times Tables at Home…

• Keep practice short and light
• Focus on one table at a time
• Try a mix of methods – visual, musical, active
• Celebrate effort, not just speed

Times tables can feel like a mountain at first – but it does get easier. If one way’s not working, try another. Keep things playful, keep showing up and trust that it’ll click.

Whether you’re supporting Year 3 or preparing for the Year 4 multiplication tables check, these times tables activities and games will help make learning easier and more fun – what works for your child? Let us know in the comments.

Ready to give your child a boost with fun, customisable times tables games? Take your free Busy Things trial today and explore all our brilliant maths resources

Want to prepare for the Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check?
Check out our MTC blog for your full guide, tips and free times table printables.