Good ways of practising times tables

[Bramshott]

What are the best way of learning and practising times tables? We are rather stuck in just chanting / testing them with DD1 (Y4) but I keep thinking there must be more creative ways . . .

We had a sing-along times tables CD - played it alot in the car. I can still sing the 7x table

Practising daily adnauseum is the way to go!

If she likes computer games then Timez Attack and Tux of Math Command are both really good - I use them both extensively with my Y4 class. Also good because Tux is free and Timez Attack has a free version so you haven't wasted money if she doesn't like them!

I remember from primary school (and that's going back a VERY long time now) drawing 10 by 10 grids on lined or squared paper, numbering the squares 1 to 100, and then colouring in the numbers in each "times table". For the 3 times table, you colour in squares 3, 6, 9 etc, and you get a series of diagonals: and so on. Each table gives you a different pattern, straight lines for the 2 and 5 times, diagonals for the 3 and 9, offset for others... It obviously fascinated me so much that I can still remember it :) but maybe I was a weird kid

My DS was very anti-learning times tables to start with in year 2 so we played catch every night with us alternating saying the next number in the times tables as we go along eg me 1x2 is 2 throw the ball to him, him 2x2 is 4 throw the ball to me etc and then swapping so he started 1x2 etc. It meant it was more fun for him (anything involving a ball!!!). Now in year 4 he can do 50 multiplication sums (for times tables 1-10) in 2 mins.

Some good ideas here - thanks.

Google Moonmaths and use this for a bit. It is a favourite morning filler in my class!