What's the best way to learn times tables?

[suburbandream]

Has anyone out there got a brilliant way to learn times tables? Other than the x2s, x5s and x10s, DS2 (7) is finding it really hard, he just can't seem to get it. I found a couple of the Percy Parker songs on youtube and although he found them really amusing they don't seem to have helped much - expect that I now have them constantly in my brain
Any advice much appreciated!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/primary/931777-Helping-learning-times-tables/AllOnOnePage

Funny was just looking at this thread today as am having similar problems.

Not very techie, so I hope this works, anyway you could Not sure how to do a link but I suppose you could cut and paste the above into your browser. I found it quite helpful.

sorry, I realise that post was a bit garbled, but you get the drift I hope.

Thanks Fossil, I found the thread! There's lots to look through so it gives me lots to go on

Hi

A long time ago I devised a colour-coded system whereby you group the tables together in 'families', each 'family' having its own colour. So instead of (trying) learning them in the conventional order - 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc - learn them a 'family' at a time. Type them out in a bold font, and print them off. You will then see the relationship between the two or three tables in each family.

Thus, the first and easiest family, which you have implied DS already knows, is: 5 and 10.

The next easiest group builds on 2 and even numbers:

2 and 4 and 8 are a family, and the relationship between them should be obvious.

The last 'family' is:

3 and 6 and 12 and again you should see a relationship.

That leaves the odds-and-sods:

7 and 9 and 11.

(and if you can understand all that you are pretty clever!)

Pity we can't tab and colour on here, but hope it helps a bit.

cheers

Thanks Ferguson, I had been thinking about doing a kind of number line to try to help DS2. He has Aspergers and is a very visual thinker, so I thought seeing it written down would help, and he likes the number line for doing maths. Glad to see I'm thinking on the right lines

Wow Ferguson, that's a good idea - and don't forget that by the time you get to 7, 9 and 11 they will only need to learn 7x7, 9x7, 11x7, 9x9, 9x11 and 11x11 because all the other answers will have already been covered in the families (2x7 the same as 7x2 etc, etc) :)

have you started with lots of practical work. making groups of objects (we use raisins because they are edible at the end) if the practical bit has been missed out or meved on from before he is ready then that may be why he is having problems.

IMO the only way to learn and know them is by rote learning. It really helps with instant solving - SIX FOURS ARE..... FOUR EIGHTS ARE.... etc. Sounds horrible and extremely out of step with "modern schooling" bit IT WORKS. Even if they have to recite it to themselves before they give the correct answer... It's how I learned and I know mine off pat. (Thankfully as a teacher...) But it drives me MAD to ask a child fours fives and see them ADDING IT UP on their fingers.....

I made my dd play maths training on the ds every night and she knows them inside out now.

Depends how their minds work, but for each table make sure they know the squares - not sure if that's the technical term, but 6x6 / 7x7 / 8x8, etc. If they know those inside out, they can use them as a root/ trigger to work forward or backward if they get panicked, which my son does. He knows his tables, but he gets sort of number blind if you put him on the spot. I did too, remember it well.

As has been said above, dd finds it useful to use the ones she does know as a springboard for ones that she doesn't (so she knows 5x4 as it's in the 5s, so she can use it to jump to 6x4 which she finds more difficult).

There is a book called Multiplication Rules which I use with some of my ASD pupils at work (in a secondary student support unit). It's good because it is grid based and very visual and tactile - not too expensive on Amazon. Might be worth checking out :)

www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/timestable/square.html how about a multiplication square suburbandream?

mrz - that's great, thanks! We have a laminated one with all the numbers on, but I like yours - simple but effective I think