Times tables

[Howmanysleepsnow]

Ok, so I’m not homeschooling BUT I’m trying to help DS with some extra bits outside of school and it occurred to me that you may be the experts on this. I hope no one minds me asking here.
DS is 10 and doesn’t know his times tables. School have used apps but this hasn’t helped beyond his 5 times table (and I suspect the lower ones he calculates rather than knows).
What is the quickest and most painless way for him to learn them now? He’s very keen to learn but it doesn’t seem to stick. Any tips?

Mine learnt using oral maths competitions, where they actually had to use their times tables for something else. That motivated them much more than just the rote learning, which was too mindnumbingly boring for them.

I don’t home school either but thought I would share - my DD’s teacher showed her this. So simple, but DD started to want to play it at home with me and she got quite competitive with it 😂

www.timestables.co.uk/times-tables-memory.html

I’m sure you can get similar things as a board game too. My DD would learn her times tables but then easily forget them (bit like me really). I do think playing this game has helped her retain them better. And I think I’ve got better too 😂

We found the maths factor absolutely brilliant for learning times tables - I mean who better to teach children maths than Carol vorderman! We love the site in general, but especially for times tables. My children then practice using hit the button xx

I use multiplication bingo as a game in the classroom. You can get free downloads online

Tt rockstars or a brilliant book recommended on here - Times Fables. Perhaps a bit childish but sets each number as a character and you learn the story, absolutely brilliant. So 4 is a chair (for example) and 7 is Dr Sven (Dr Sven went on holiday and spent 28 days sitting in a chair, because Dr Sven is tired and likes to sit in a chair, I expect you think that’s boring but Dr Sven likes nothing more than sitting in a chair and sitting in a chair for 28 days is her idea of bliss). So when they can’t do quick recall they just think (in this example) what’s 7x4, Dr Sven and a chair… her holiday for 28 days. It helped massively (sorry this is long winded, but the book is great)!

Boringly we just wrote them out on flashcards then just repeatedly drilled them. If DS got it right the card went on one pile, wrong or too slow on another pile. We kept going through the miss pile until nothing was left. Then we did the same set again every few days until he got a clear round. We tried songs and fun computer game things but it just distracted DS2 and he couldn't transfer the knowledge out of the apps.

For motivation we also did lightning rounds. One minute of flashcards. For every correct answer you get one Pringle. At the end of the round, stack up all the Pringles earned and bite into them.

Basically food rewards were the only thing that motivated DS2 to learn but I made the food go a bit further by making obstacle courses with treats in them that he could then win time on by correct times table answers. Eg doughnuts hanging on a string from the laundry airer. Every correct times table answer from the set gets ten seconds sitting underneath the doughnuts trying eat them without using your hands. (Same deal for other party favourites like smarties in flour or that game where you put on hat and gloves and cut up chocolate with a knife and fork).

We play a game in the car. Our youngest does number bonds = 10 and the older 2 do their times tables. The constant repetition definitely helps and I join in and have my turn too. They love to be quicker than me so it motivates them.
the game Fizz Buzz is great too. Start with 3 & 5 times tables and then add in others. The kids did this at school and are so much better than me at it…which adds to their enjoyment.

I am 60 and I don't really know my times tables. I don't do well with rote learning. I have several degrees so it is not really a deal breaker education wise. I would say to let your child find their own way to integrate arithmetic into their life but I understand that they may need to sit exams to prove their understanding.

I just learnt them by rote many, many years ago. My mother taught me my 2x and 3x before I started school. Learning by rote has gone out of fashion; children are expected to understand the concept of '2ness' and '3ness' etc. before learning. I often think learning by rote is helpful, and understanding often follows later.