Rote repetition alone is rarely enough to make times tables stick long-term. The children who remember their tables years later typically learned them using a combination of memory tricks, patterns, rhymes, and visual anchors. Here is a toolkit of techniques that work for different types of learners.

The 9s Finger Trick

Hold both hands flat in front of you. To multiply any number by 9, fold down the finger that matches that number (starting from the left). The fingers to the left of the folded finger show the tens digit; the fingers to the right show the units. For 9×7, fold the seventh finger — six fingers on the left, three on the right: 63. This trick works for 9×1 through 9×10 and children love it.

The Digit Sum Pattern in the 9 Times Table

Every answer in the 9 times table has digits that add up to 9: 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, 54, 63, 72, 81, 90. Once a child notices this pattern, they can use it as a checking tool. If they think 9×8=74, they check: 7+4=11, not 9, so something is wrong. This metacognitive checking habit is valuable across all mathematics.

Rhymes and Stories for Hard Facts

The hardest times table facts are typically in the 7s and 8s. Memorable rhymes can lock specific answers in place:

• •"Five, six, seven, eight: 56 is 7 times 8" — a rhyme for the notoriously difficult 7×8=56
• •"6 and 8 went on a date, now they're 48" — for 6×8=48
• •"I ate and I ate until I was sick on the floor: 8×8=64" — for 8×8=64
• •"7×7 is just like heaven: 49" — connecting the answer to the rhyme

Visual Patterns for the 6s and 7s

The 6 times table has a useful pattern when multiplied by even numbers: the answer always ends in the same digit as the multiplier (6×2=12, 6×4=24, 6×6=36, 6×8=48). For the 7s, drawing the answers in a grid and looking at the ones column (7, 4, 1, 8, 5, 2, 9, 6, 3, 0) reveals a pattern that counts backwards in 3s. Visual learners who chart these patterns often find the tables much easier to remember.

Chants, Songs and Rap Rhythms

Auditory learners remember things they have heard in rhythm. The 3 times table set to the melody of a favourite song, the 7s recited with a hip-hop beat, or the 11s and 12s sung together can create earworm memories that last years. Many parents and teachers have found that whatever music a child loves can become a carrier for times tables learning.

Square numbers (1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81, 100) are worth learning as a special set. Once children know all the square numbers, they only need to learn the non-square facts — which are fewer than they seem, since 3×7 is the same fact as 7×3.

Using Card Games to Reinforce Facts

Homemade flashcard games add a social, game-like dimension to practice. Shuffle a pack of cards, flip two over, and multiply them together as fast as possible. Play "snap" where both players must shout the product when two cards match. Race family members to see who can work through the full pack fastest. These games turn repetition into genuine competition and fun.