Learning the tables in steps
- 2, 5 and 10. Counting in twos, fives and tens makes these the easiest to start with.
- 3, 4 and 8. The 4s are double the 2s, and the 8s are double the 4s.
- 6, 7 and 9. The trickiest facts; most children learn them last.
- All tables 2 to 12. Mixed practice once each table is secure.
Facts, missing factors and division
Knowing 7 × 8 = 56 also means knowing 8 × 7, 56 ÷ 7 and 56 ÷ 8. Mixing the three kinds of problem helps children see a times table as a family of facts, not a list to recite, and makes division much easier later on.
Irish curriculum links
- 3rd–4th ClassStage 3: multiplication as equal groups and repeated addition, division as sharing or repeated subtraction, and the inverse link between them.
- PropertiesThe toolkit names the commutative, associative, identity and distributive properties: 7 × 8 is 8 × 7, and 7 × 5 plus 7 × 3.
- 5th–6th ClassStage 4: factors, multiples and prime numbers, all of which rest on quick recall of the tables.
In Ireland these facts are simply called “tables”, and tables homework is a long tradition. The 2023 curriculum puts more weight on understanding than on reciting, so mixing facts, missing factors and division, as these sheets do, fits it well.
Schools run standardised maths tests in 2nd, 4th and 6th Class. Children who know their tables can spend their effort on the problem, not the arithmetic.
Summarised in our own words from the Primary Mathematics Curriculum (2023) and the NCCA Mathematics Toolkit.
