There are 144 multiplication facts on a 12 × 12 grid, but your child only needs to learn about 15 of them the hard way. This page shows you why, with an interactive grid, a trick for every tricky table, a free practice version of the Year 4 multiplication tables check and a factor game to play together.
- Multiplication facts are the answers to sums like 7 × 8 = 56, up to 12 × 12.
- In England children should know them all, plus the matching division facts, by the end of Year 4.
- Turnarounds and a few tricks cut 144 facts down to 15 hard ones.
- The Year 4 multiplication tables check is 25 questions with 6 seconds each and no pass mark.
What are multiplication facts?
A multiplication fact is one single times table answer, such as 6 × 7 = 42. "Knowing" a fact means recalling it in a couple of seconds, without counting up or working it out.
Each fact also gives you two division facts for free. If 6 × 7 = 42, then 42 ÷ 6 = 7 and 42 ÷ 7 = 6, which is why schools call them fact families.
Quick recall matters because almost every later topic leans on it. Fractions, long division, area, ratio and the 11+ maths paper all go faster and feel calmer when the facts are automatic.
You can see how much they matter in our long division guide.
The interactive multiplication grid
Tap any square to see its row, column and twin fact. Then use the buttons to light up the patterns that make the grid much smaller than it looks.
Explore the 12 × 12 grid
The facts you actually need to learn
The full grid looks scary, so cross off what your child already knows. Press the button and watch the grid shrink one group at a time.
- ×1 facts: any number times 1 is itself. 121 left.
- ×10 facts: just add a zero. 100 left.
- ×2 and ×5 facts: learned back in Year 2. 64 left.
- ×11 facts: write the digit twice, up to 11 × 9. 49 left.
- Turnarounds: 8 × 3 is the same as 3 × 8, so count each pair once. 28 left.
- ×4 facts: double, then double again. 21 left.
- ×9 facts: the finger trick or 10 lots take away 1 lot. 15 left.
The 15 red squares left are 3 × 3, 3 × 6, 3 × 7, 3 × 8, 3 × 12, 6 × 6, 6 × 7, 6 × 8, 6 × 12, 7 × 7, 7 × 8, 7 × 12, 8 × 8, 8 × 12 and 12 × 12. Write them on a card for the fridge, because these are where the time should go.
Pip finds your child's missing facts for you
Pip tracks every answer and brings back the facts your child is slow on or keeps getting wrong, so practice goes straight to the tricky 15.
Tricks for every times table
Tricks are a bridge, not the goal. Use one to work a fact out a few times, and soon your child will just know the answer.
9s: the finger trick
Hold up 10 fingers and fold down the one you are multiplying by. Fingers on the left are the tens and fingers on the right are the ones.
4s and 8s: keep doubling
Times by 4 is double, then double again. Times by 8 is double three times.
6s and 12s: split it
6 lots is 5 lots plus 1 more lot. 12 lots is 10 lots plus 2 lots, which works for every 12s fact.
11s: say it twice
Up to 11 × 9, write the number twice: 11 × 6 is 66. For 11 × 10, 11 and 12, do 10 lots plus 1 lot.
The 7s are the one table with no neat trick, and you can split them too: 7 lots is 5 lots plus 2 lots. The good news is that only 5 of the 7s facts survive the shrinking grid: 3 × 7, 6 × 7, 7 × 7, 7 × 8 and 7 × 12.
A rhyme helps for the one that trips up the most children: 5, 6, 7, 8 gives 56 = 7 × 8.
What to learn in each year
The national curriculum for England sets out the order, and each new table leans on one your child already knows.
If your child is in Year 5 or 6 and still unsure, don't go back to the start. Find the missing facts with the check below and fill those gaps, since the 11+ and the KS2 SATs both assume these facts are instant.
The Year 4 multiplication tables check (MTC)
The multiplication tables check is a short on-screen test that every Year 4 child in a state-funded school in England takes in June. It is not run in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
- 25 questions from the 2 to 12 times tables, answered on a computer or tablet.
- 6 seconds per question, with a 3 second pause between questions.
- Only multiplication, written like 7 × 8 =, with no division or word problems.
- There is no pass mark; schools use the results to see who needs more support.
- Children get 3 practice questions first, and the whole check takes about 5 minutes.
The check is built so that the harder 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s and 12s turn up more than the easy tables. Our practice version below does the same, and it never asks for ×1 facts.
Try a practice multiplication check
25 questions, 6 seconds each, just like the real thing. Type the answer or tap the keypad, then press Enter.
Nothing is saved or sent anywhere. At the end you will see your score and the exact facts to practise.
Number Dojo turns the hard facts into a game
Lightning recall across four worlds, with belts to earn, combo streaks and number bosses to beat. Every fact shows its three faces, so 7 × 8 also teaches 56 ÷ 7 and 56 ÷ 8.
Facts your child gets wrong come back more often until they are quick, and squares and square roots are in there too.
Play the factor game
This is a classic two-player game that practises multiplication facts backwards. Take a number and you score it, but your opponent scores every factor of it still on the board.
The factor game, 1 to 30
Pick a number that still has a free factor: you score it and the other player scores its factors. When no moves are left, the highest total wins.
Talk about the moves as you play.
Why is 29 a brilliant first pick, and why is 24 a bad one? Spotting that 24 gives away 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 12 is times tables practice without it feeling like a test.
How to practise at home
Little and often beats long sessions. Five to ten minutes a day, most days, will do more than an hour on a Sunday.
- Find the gaps first. Do the practice check above and write down every fact that was wrong or slow.
- Learn 3 facts at a time. Use a trick to work each one out, then say it in both directions: 7 × 8 and 8 × 7.
- Add the division facts. Ask "56 ÷ 8?" straight after "7 × 8?", so the whole fact family is learned together.
- Mix old and new. Keep the new facts in with ones your child already knows, so they get quick wins along the way.
- Speed comes last. Only start timing once the answers are right, because rushing too early builds guessing.
For variety, try our free times tables games, including the speed game, times tables battleships and the memory game. The fact families game and factors and multiples game carry the facts into division.
Frequently asked questions
What are multiplication facts?+
Multiplication facts are the answers to single multiplications such as 7 × 8 = 56, usually up to 12 × 12. In England children are expected to recall all of them, and the matching division facts, by the end of Year 4.
How many multiplication facts are there up to 12 × 12?+
The 12 × 12 grid has 144 facts. Once you take out the easy tables, count each turnaround pair once, and use doubling for the 4s and the finger trick for the 9s, only 15 facts are left to learn by heart.
What is the Year 4 multiplication tables check?+
The multiplication tables check (MTC) is a statutory on-screen check for Year 4 pupils in state-funded schools in England, taken in June. Children answer 25 questions from the 2 to 12 times tables, with 6 seconds for each and a 3 second pause between questions.
There is no pass mark.
What is the hardest times table?+
Most children find the 7s, 8s, 6s and 12s hardest, and facts like 7 × 8 and 6 × 8 are missed more than most. The 7s have no simple pattern, but only a handful of 7s facts are left once the turnarounds are known.
What order should children learn their times tables in?+
Follow the national curriculum order: 2s, 5s and 10s in Year 2; 3s, 4s and 8s in Year 3; then 6s, 7s, 9s, 11s and 12s in Year 4. Each new table builds on one already known, such as 4s as double the 2s and 8s as double the 4s.
How long should children practise times tables each day?+
Five to ten minutes a day works better than a long session once a week. Short, spaced practice on the facts a child keeps missing builds quick recall fastest.
The Pip team builds Pip, the 11+ and KS2 practice app for children in years three to six. We write these guides from real exam formats and past papers.