How to Memorize Multiplication Tables: 7 Tips for Your Kids
reviewed by Jo-ann Caballes
Updated on January 17, 2025
The key to memorizing multiplication tables is consistent and fun practice with real-life examples, which Brighterly math tutors can help you with. Keep in mind that even the most calm kid is still the kid, and they want to have fun. So, the best way to memorize multiplication tables is to make it a part of daily routines.
Note: We, Brighterly, is a math tutoring platform that supports the idea of fun and accessible education for everyone. Here, you can book tutoring sessions with the best educational experts, find clarification of different terminology and math principles, and use our worksheets to have additional study practice.
Key Points:
- You need to make multiplication lessons a daily practice
- Make any multiplication problem interactive and palpable by using games, real-life examples, and different objects
- Study sessions with a tutor, such as Brighterly math tutor, can speed up the memorization
How to learn multiplication tables fast with Brighterly?
- With top-notch Brighterly math tutors
- With Brighterly multiplication worksheets
- With Brighterly math multiplication tests
Learn multiplication tables fast with top-notch math tutors
Your child can learn multiplication tables quickly and easily with the help of math tutors. The proper guidance will make math fun and achievable. At Brighterly, we understand the importance of building a solid math foundation from an early age.
That’s why we have a Brighterly math tutoring platform that connects you with expert math tutors who will help your child excel in mathematics. Our online tutors have vast experience in teaching kids, so they will find a suitable approach for any student. They know tricks on how to memorize multiplication tables fast, so your child will not only know multiplication well but this knowledge will be carved into their subconscious.
Brighterly math tutors use games, quizzes, and other interactive methods to ensure your child is interested in new knowledge. Our philosophy is that a quality education is accessible to anyone. That’s why, at the end of this article, you’ll get free worksheets that ease memorizing multiplication tables.
Note: Brighterly math tutors personalize lessons to meet your child’s unique learning and working style. During the first free session, we analyze their knowledge gaps and provide you with a customized curriculum aligned both with a student’s needs and Common Core standards.
How to teach a child to memorize multiplication tables with worksheets?
You can teach a child multiplication tables with worksheets, enabling regular practice and repetition. At Brighterly, we provide free math multiplication worksheets to make learning easy and exciting with various tasks, from tricky retrieval and fact groups trivia to real-life examples. Let’s take a closer look at our multiplication worksheets.
Easy way to learn multiplication tables with math multiplication tests
One of the easiest ways to learn multiplication tables is to use interactive tests. These tests make learning more engaging by allowing kids to practice in a structured format while tracking their progress. At Brighterly, we offer various multiplication table tests that help students reinforce their knowledge and boost confidence in math.
Our “Knowledge Base” articles have interactive tests to access a child’s knowledge. They will show you their knowledge gaps so you’ll know what to focus on in the future. Let’s test your child’s multiplication proficiency with Brighterly’s interactive multiplication tests.
Note: Test your child’s math skills with Brighterly’s free diagnostic math tests. We help you determine your child’s strengths and weaknesses to create a study plan that is perfectly aligned with students’ needs.
Principles for learning multiplication tables
- breaking down the tables into smaller sections
- using visual aids like charts or flashcards
- playing games,
- incorporating songs or dances.
Generally speaking, your study session should look more like a playground rather than traditional lessons.
Foundational concepts for learning multiplication tables
- the first factor is a number that will be added a certain number of times;
- the second factor is a number showing how many times the first factor must be added to obtain the product;
- product is the value obtained from repeated addition, showing what this operation is equal to.
Multiplication belongs to the third Common Core math topic for learning. Hence, explain the relationship between addition, subtraction, and multiplication.
Note: Tell the child that the second action is the first action repeated a certain number of times. It will help to understand the essence of the arithmetic operation and, as a result, to learn the multiplication table. Take a sheet of paper and draw an example to show the repetition of actions.
Also, explain to your child that changing the places of the factors in the multiplication chart does not change the product. As soon as the second-grader understands these rules, they can learn multiplication and start memorizing the table directly.
How to memorize the multiplication table? 7 tips
- Understand the logic and principles behind math
- Leverage memory techniques to memorize multiplication tables
- Implement regular practices
- Make an easy start
- Start repeating aloud
- Adopt an interactive approach
- Create games
Method 1: Understanding the logic and principles behind math
Your child should understand the logic and principles behind math, as it’s the key to success. Solely memorization is not the easiest way to memorize the multiplication table, as the memory can be faulty.
While analyzing the multiplication table, you will find specific principles and logical patterns in each line. When a child understands the principle of the table, it will be easier to learn and remember it.
Method 2: Leverage memory techniques to memorize multiplication tables
You can leverage memory techniques to ensure that your child memorizes multiplication tables. There are countless memory techniques to do it, such as:
- Chunking method: Break multiplication into small chunks.
- Visualization: Make the multiplication task a fancy story.
- Pattern recognition: Math is all about patterns, and the best way to learn multiplication tables is to understand those patterns.
This list is the smallest part of the memorization practices to boost your child’s knowledge.
Method 3: Implement regular practices
Regularity of practice is a crucial part of the memorization process. Try to spend at least half an hour each day repeating what you have learned before and acquiring new tables. It’s an easy way to learn multiplication tables. It may take a lot of time, but all efforts will pay off!
Method 4: Make an easy start
The first and foremost task of a parent is to make an easy start for the child’s math. A simple approach is to begin with the 2, 5, and 10 tables, as these are usually the easiest. Starting with these tables helps build confidence, as multiplying by two is quite straightforward.
Once the child feels comfortable with these, gradually move on to other tables. It’s one of those tricks to learn multiplication tables that prevents overwhelming.
Method 5: Start repeating aloud
Another fun and easy way to memorize multiplication table is to constantly repeat it aloud. When you sit and learn the table, ask the child to repeat it aloud. The more times children repeat numbers and patterns, the better they will be memorized.
Method 6: Adopt an interactive approach
No one likes boring lessons, so adopting interactive practices will make math more fun. Once the child looks forward to a lesson, it will be fruitful and result-oriented.
You can use interactive instruments like pictures, applications, and other materials. Sparking natural curiosity is the best way to memorize multiplication tables.
Use their interests to motivate the child. If they like video games, look for some interactive digital service. If they prefer singing and dancing, incorporate those practices into your routine.
Method 7: Create games
If you wonder how to teach multiplication tables, it’s to create your own games. You can take a piece of paper and start drawing tables.
You can prepare the multiplication table with empty fields and gaps. The task will be to fill in the missing numbers. You can ask your child to prepare this task for you. During the process, the student will think about patterns and develop a strategy for them, remembering each time at the table.
Top 7 ways to learn multiplication facts
- Visual memory
- Poems to memorize
- Learn by tables
- Simplifying tips
- Object lesson
- Addition method
- Finger-counting
Visual memory
Boosting visual memory is known as one of the simplest “how to learn multiplication tables” ways. You can use the Pythagorean square to ensure your child understands the concept behind multiplication. Here, the numbers of the natural series are located horizontally and vertically, and their products are located at the intersection of the two values.
Poems to memorize
You can try to use math-related poems to memorize the material. For example, you can help kids learn the following multiplication table in such an unusual and curious way. There are original quatrains for all expressions. You can memorize them with your children and use them even in everyday communication.
For instance, here is the “Table of 9” child’s math rhyme:
Nine, eighteen, twenty-seven, thirty-six,
Learning nines is a nifty fix!
Nine, eighteen, twenty-seven, thirty-six,
Practice hard, and you’ll get your tricks!
Learn by tables
Another easy way to learn multiplication tables is to do it column by column. It’s a slow method, but it will suit most kids. After mastering each subsequent column, it is necessary to repeat everything from the beginning.
If your child memorizes all multiplication tables by 2,3,4, and even 5, let’s randomly ask them math problems where they can show what they previously memorized.
Simplifying tips
Multiplication tables have many interconnections and regulations, so using simplifying tips will make the process easier. Here are 5 best simplifying multiplication tips:
- If one of the factors is a two, the same number must be added to the second number. For example, 6*2 = 6 + 6 = 12.
- If the factor is number five, the product will end in either five or zero. Even numbers will have a zero at the end, and odd numbers will have a five.
- If the factor is 10, the product always ends with 0 and begins with the second digit in the example: 10*3 = 30, 10*7 = 70.
- It is better for children to learn the multiplication table by five, knowing that the results in it are half as small as in the column by 10: 5*6 = 30, 10*6 = 60.
- If you want to perform an operation with 9, you need to add 0 to the original number and subtract the same number. In the expression 7*9, the solution will be similar if 70 – 7. 70 – 7 = 63, so 7*9 = 63.
Object lesson
Another great answer to the question, “How to memorize multiplication tables?”, is to start object lessons with real-world physical things. Take out all the toys from the basket and divide them into pairs. If you are teaching children table 2, give them four pairs of objects to make 8, so 2*4 = 8.
Eventually, they’ll find out that four sets of 2 are 8. Also, let the kid take these toys to elementary school. Such fun ways to learn multiplication will stimulate them to study the topic more.
Addition method
The easiest and the best way to learn multiplication tables is to use the addition method. For example, if you want to multiply 5*5, you can add that number five times to get the answer: 5+5+5+5+5 = 25, which is 5*5 = 25.
Once the child is ready to move to the following step and find what is 5*6, they simply can add 5 to their previous result to calculate the result of the “five times six” math operation.
Finger-counting
Your child can also start finger-counting practice to learn the times table by 9. Start by spreading all 10 fingers in front of you. To calculate 9*1, lower the left little finger. What’s left? 9 fingers!
For 9*2, drop the left ring finger. What is left now? 1 finger and a space followed by 8 fingers is 18. This method works up to 9*9 (8 and 1 or 81). But when teaching such tricks, don’t forget to explain the concept of multiplication.
How to memorize multiplication tables in one day?
It’s impossible to memorize multiplication tables in one day, but you can make it within a few weeks. Just ensure that your child makes real-life associations. It’s better to spend a month or two to ensure that they subconsciously know the basic multiplication table.
Note: Brighterly math program focused on a personalized learning approach as we understand that each kid requires a special touch. Book the first free study session to see what difference an experienced tutor makes!
How long does it take to memorize multiplication tables?
Usually, it takes a month or two to memorize the multiplication table. The actual period depends on:
- Current math skills
- Lessons frequency
- Study approach
- Student’s attitude
- Chosen learning tips
- Individual circumstances
Keep in mind that recalling is also part of the process. Speaking on what is the easiest way to memorize multiplication tables, it’s safe to say that real-life calculations. That way a child understands the importance of this action in their life.
Once your child has mastered the multiplication table, it’s time to test that knowledge. Make it part of your daily routine.
Steps in learning the multiplication table
Preparation
The preparation stage includes purchasing necessary materials like games, cards, books, and copybooks. You need to be sure that your child likes it. Explain to the youngster the necessity of buying it and allow them to choose the table. This way, you will find it easier to start lessons later and pay attention to the learning.
First meeting
At the first meeting, introduce the multiplication table to the child and explain the need for learning. Actualize the necessity of learning to boost a child’s attention. At this stage, you can create a system of encouragement. Such an approach will motivate them to learn better.
Those who ask, “How to learn my multiplication tables fast?” should break down tables into smaller chunks and keep in mind multiplication interconnections. For instance, both 5 times 3 and 3 times 5 equals 15.
Day-to-day learning
At the stage of day-to-day learning, you need to ensure consistency in your study sessions. It may be hard to catch a child’s attention during the first lessons.
However, you will find it useful and fruitful by insisting on regular practice. The general rule of thumb states that the answer to the question “How will you make a child memorize the table of multiplication?” is as simple as consistent study sessions.
Once you make it routine, you’ll see the first results within weeks. You can use any real-life examples, even computer science. You can even go to Costco with the kids so they see why they need to know multiplication so well.
Relaxing days
After a week or two, you need to implement relaxing days with a family. Kids need time to solidify their knowledge. It may be too overwhelming to learn the whole table at once. You can also have a day off after each table. It depends on your situation and your child’s study pace.
Repetitions
Even on days off, you can start the repetitions by reviewing the tables with your child. For instance, at the market, you can ask your kid to count something. The information will appear in memory, and children will remember patterns better.
Why should children memorize the multiplication table?
Your child should memorize the multiplication table to have a solid foundation of the math skills that they will use throughout their lives. Knowing math by heart makes solving more complex math problems faster and easier.
While looking at how to memorize multiplication tables for kids, you can use games, real-life situations, and palpable tasks. It will boost children’s math confidence and logical reasoning.
We know that you are asking, “Is there a trick to learning multiplication?”, but there is no trick. The only way to learn this part of math is to persistently repeat it day by day.
Mistakes in learning multiplication facts
- Don’t compare the child with their classmates, as it lowers the child’s self-esteem.
- Don’t practice in a bad mood.
- Don’t scold or punish for bad grades and mistakes.
- Start learning gradually rather than forcing your child to learn the entire table in one day.
What is the best trick to remember tables? Conclusion
The best trick to remember multiplication tables is to combine multiple techniques that suit your child’s learning style. You can use repetition, songs, and visual aids to make learning engaging and fun. You can also try a memorize multiplication tables game practice to make the study process more entertaining.
Answering what is the easiest way to memorize multiplication tables, it’s safe to say that it’s those that perfectly suit your kid. Keep in mind that what works with their classmates may not work with your child.
Brighterly math tutoring platform is a great place to learn math, since our tutors find a personalized approach to teaching your child, while you can solidify the knowledge by using Brighterly math worksheets and interactive tests.