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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

learning times tables

32 replies

fun12 · 22/03/2011 11:28

Has anyone got any tips on helping dcs in year 1 to memorise their times tables, or is it just a case of lots of practice. 2s, 5s, 10s and 11s all fine but others need a lot of thinking about.

OP posts:

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PoppetUK · 22/03/2011 11:29

Percy Parker App from itunes or album from itunes

Michaelahpurple · 22/03/2011 11:31

Only that it is dull, dull, dull! But also essential - doesn't that go for much of parenting!
Little and often, I would say. I try to do at least one table on the way to school each day (chant it, count up, count down, random questions, a few divisions). You need it to mindless, ie they aren't counting up quickly in their head, or working it out, and endless practice is about the only way.
Some people like CDs although I haven't used them much, but that may be because DS1 learnt fast. I suspect I may have to get more imaginative with DS2. It sounds as though you are well on track.

squidgy12 · 22/03/2011 11:32

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IndigoBell · 22/03/2011 11:35

In Y1 - they only need to know 2s, 5s, and 10s!

Has school asked you to learn more?

But yes, there are loads of diff ways to practice. But in the end obviously it is practice, and finding the way they learn best....

Original poster

fun12 · 22/03/2011 11:50

Yes it is his homework, but I was a bit surprised.

OP posts:

IndigoBell · 22/03/2011 12:59

I wouldn't worry. He's only in Y1. They will come in time. And he really, really doesn't need them yet.

squidgy12 · 22/03/2011 13:05

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Message withdrawn

IndigoBell · 22/03/2011 15:50

I certainly have many things far higher on my priority list than teaching a Y1 Kid all their times tables.

If you wait 6 months he'll probably learn them all very easily by himself....

Elibean · 22/03/2011 16:05

A small hijack - dd (Y2) can count in 2s, 5s, 10s, 11s and even a short way in 3s but she doesn't 'know' her times tables iyswim. If I ask her what 5 x 5 is, she doesn't know.

She is also not interested in knowing, and would much rather draw/write/read etc so any fun tips would be very handy!

stealthsquiggle · 22/03/2011 16:16

Y1 - I was just about to recommend the times table CD which I should have royalties on by now (it's here if you want it) but for Y3, not Y1 - Y1 I would go with the flow, IIWY.

stealthsquiggle · 22/03/2011 16:20

OP - what sort of school? DS is in independent prep and he didn't do them until Y3.

If school really want/expect them to do it in Y1, then I would recommend the CD - we used it in the car and didn't waste time at home on them. It is monumentally annoying, but it worked a treat for DS.

OliPolly · 22/03/2011 16:48

DS is in Y2 at a prep and only started doing timestable at beginning of Y2. They are learning 2s,3s,5s,6s and 10s. 11s is a given

Practise! Practise!

We also have a littel poster in his room which helps - it was an amazing moment fro him when he realised how timestable are linked to division!

Carameli · 22/03/2011 17:47

just seen this and would 2nd Percy Parker, fab fab fab!!!!

mrz · 22/03/2011 17:52

My Y2s love Percy Parker and most know all their tables and the related division facts.

thinkingkindly · 22/03/2011 22:24

DD's teacher said don't teach your DCs the times tables, teach them to count. So 2, 4, 6... 5, 10, 15... rather than 2 x 2 is 4 etc. There was a reason for it but I can't remember what it was!

RoadArt · 22/03/2011 23:05

Rather than memorising the tables they need to understand what they mean.

use equipment - beans, coins, sweets. put them in rows of 2 x 2, 5 x 2, 10 x 2.

Move them around to show how different 2 x 5 and 5 x 2 is and then count them.
If children understand what is meant by 2 lots of 2, or 5 groups of people will each get 5 sweets, this will mean more than knowing 2x 5.

Over time they will learn the numbers by rote, but getting practical experience to see what it means will make a huge difference

jollydiane · 22/03/2011 23:25

I have a tip for the 9x table.

Take 1 away from the number that you a multiplying 9 by and then add sufficent numbers to make 9. So

6x9 (would be 5 and you need 4 to make 9) 6x9 = 54.

7x9 (would be 6 and you need 3 to make 9) 7x9 = 63

CointreauVersial · 22/03/2011 23:33

Practice little and often. I used to fire times tables at the DCs during the five-minute drive to school, then DH would ask a few more as he tucked them into bed at night.

snorkie · 22/03/2011 23:39

jollydiane, perhaps an easier way of visualising what you are saying: hold up hands with all fingers & thumbs pointing up - put down the nth finger or thumb from the left where n is the number you are multiplying by 9. The number of fingers/thumbs each side of this gives the 10s and units of the answer in the order that you write them.

ninani · 23/03/2011 15:28

I was a few years older when I was still struggling with them.

I told my father.
He told me to write them down.
I wrote them down 2-4 times in onw go (not more).
I have remembered them since then.

Although I don't know how easy it would be for a Y1 child to do so much writing.

mrz · 23/03/2011 17:27

We teach them what it means using repeated addition and arrays then teach them the times tables so they are fast.

I was explaining about the patterns of the 9X table to my class (tens increase by one units decrease ... the tens is always one less than the number you multiply by ......... adding the digits always gives the answer 9) and heard a "cooooooooooooool" response
my class find maths exciting

jollydiane · 23/03/2011 22:51

Fantastic mrz and snorki I love maths and the wonder you can get from it.

lovecheese · 24/03/2011 13:38

I have a DD in yr2 who wants to learn them all because she thinks it is fun and a DD in yr5 who still doesn't know them all (But that's a different story). If you have a child who wants to learn them, why not?; sure, it isn't necessary in yr2 - 2's, 5's and 10's needed - but a natural curiosity should be nurtured; my seven year-old took great delight in the 11's, and all the different finger tricks and adding digits together of the 9's. I would concur though that a child must realise WHAT X tables actually mean, and how division reverses it. If only my 10 year-old had her sisters curiosity...

mrz · 24/03/2011 17:29

I told my Y2 class that once they knew their 2s, 5s and 10s they could pick the one they wanted to learn next and most now know 2-12 and lots of parents have said that much older siblings don't know theirs ...

mamtor2 · 26/03/2011 00:36

Have you heard of Mathletics? Its a website where children compete against whoever else is online around the world and they do timed tests at the level they are at. My hubby is a teacher and they have it at their school so don't know what the subscription cost is. Boys seem to like it as it is on a computer! You do need to get a bit of practice in first though. What I did with ds was do it with him and help him so he got a bit of a score and then that provided a bit of interest for him to continue.

I cannot imagine ANYONE especially not a small child buying a CD to listen to - they are mind numbingly boring!

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