Memorising the times tables is one of the most useful things a child can do in primary maths, yet the way we help them do it makes an enormous difference. Repetition alone can be dull and, worse, ineffective. The good news is that decades of research into how memory works points to strategies that are both more enjoyable and more successful. In this article we explore seven memorisation techniques you can use at home or in the classroom to help multiplication facts stick for the long term.
Our brains remember information best when we revisit it at gradually increasing intervals rather than cramming it all at once. This is called spaced repetition. Practising the six times table for five minutes today, again tomorrow, then in three days and then in a week is far more effective than a single half-hour session.
You do not need special software to apply this. Simply return to previously learned tables regularly, even after a child seems to know them, and you will keep the facts fresh.
Testing is not just a way to measure learning — it is a way to create it. Every time a child pulls a fact from memory, that memory grows stronger. This is why answering questions is more powerful than simply reading a times table over and over.
Quick, low-stakes quizzes are ideal. The aim is not to catch children out but to give the brain the healthy workout of retrieving an answer. Our Mixed Quiz is built around this principle, presenting facts in random order so children genuinely recall rather than recite.
Counting in steps — three, six, nine, twelve — builds a rhythmic sense of a table before the individual facts are memorised. It links multiplication to counting, which children already understand, and gives them a fallback method for working out an answer they have temporarily forgotten.
Skip-counting works especially well when combined with movement, such as clapping or bouncing a ball on each number.
Melody and rhythm are powerful memory aids — think of how easily we remember song lyrics compared with prose. Setting a times table to a familiar tune, or using a well-known rhyme, gives the brain an extra hook to hang the facts on.
This approach suits younger children particularly well and can turn a car journey or a walk to school into painless practice.
Every times table contains patterns, and noticing them reduces the memory load. The 9s have digits that sum to nine; the 5s end in five or zero; the 2s, 4s and 8s are all even. When children discover these patterns for themselves, the learning is deeper and more satisfying than being told.
A multiplication chart is a wonderful tool for pattern-spotting. Ask a child what they notice as they look across rows and down columns, and let their curiosity lead.
Doubling is a bridge between tables. If a child knows the 3 times table, they can reach the 6s by doubling, and the 12s by doubling again. This turns three separate feats of memory into one, supported by a simple, reliable strategy.
Encouraging children to relate new facts to known ones teaches them that maths is a connected web rather than a list of unrelated items to be memorised.
Perhaps the most important technique of all is frequency. Five focused minutes a day will beat a single long session every time. Short bursts keep attention high, prevent frustration and take advantage of the spacing effect described earlier.
Building practice into a daily routine — after breakfast, before tea, on the way to school — removes the need for willpower and makes success almost automatic.
Both matter. Understanding why multiplication works comes first, but fluent recall frees up mental space for harder problems such as long multiplication, fractions and algebra. The techniques here build recall on top of understanding.
For most primary-age children, five to ten focused minutes daily is ideal. Consistency matters more than length, and shorter sessions keep motivation high.
Forgetting is normal and not a sign of failure. It usually means the facts need more spaced repetition. Revisit them regularly and they will become permanent.
You can find more articles like this on the Times Table Hero blog.