Updated 29 October 2026

How to learn times tables

What children at British-curriculum schools are expected to know in each year, the order that makes the tables easier, and a short daily routine that works.

Children should know every times table up to 12 x 12 by the end of Year 4, including the matching division facts.

Learn them in groups that share patterns: 10 and 5; 2, 4 and 8; 3, 6 and 9; then 7, 11 and 12.

Practise little and often: a few minutes of quick recall most days, saying the facts aloud, beats long sessions.

What is expected in each year

The National Curriculum for England, which British schools in the UAE follow, sets out:

Year group	Times tables	Expectation
Year 2	2, 5 and 10	Recall and use the multiplication and division facts
Year 3	3, 4 and 8	Recall and use the multiplication and division facts
Year 4	All tables up to 12 x 12	Memorised by the end of the year
Year 5 and 6	All	Keep practising and use them in bigger calculations

If your child is behind in Year 4, the Department for Education (DfE) says to prioritise the facts up to 9 x 9. Those are the ones needed for written multiplication and division in Year 5.

The order that makes it easier

The DfE's maths guidance for schools suggests learning the tables in this order:

10, then 5
2, 4 and 8, one after the other
3, 6 and 9, one after the other
7
11 and 12

Each step uses what came before:

The 5 table is half the 10 table.
The 4 table is double the 2 table, and the 8 table is double the 4 table.
The 6 table is double the 3 table.
Order does not matter: 3 x 4 is the same as 4 x 3. Once your child knows the 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 tables, most of the 7 table is already known.
Neighbouring answers in a table always differ by that number: 32 and 40 in the 8 table differ by 8.

How to practise at home

Say the whole fact. The DfE notes that children remember facts as a spoken pattern, such as 'nine sevens are sixty-three'. Ask your child to say the full fact, not just the answer.
Quiz, do not recite. Chanting a table from the start practises the chant. Asking single facts out of order ('6 x 8?') practises recall, which is what children need in a test and in later maths. This is retrieval practice, one of the best-supported ways to learn.
Little and often. A few minutes on most days, in the car or at breakfast, spreads practice over time. Spaced practice like this has good evidence behind it.
Mix tables once they are known. When your child knows several tables, mix questions from all of them.
Include division. After '7 x 4?', ask '28 ÷ 7?'. Each multiplication fact gives you three more facts for free.
Track the tricky ones. Keep a short list of facts your child gets wrong or answers slowly, and start each session with those.

Why these methods: see revision techniques that work.

The Year 4 multiplication tables check (England)

In England, Year 4 children take an online multiplication tables check in June. It has 25 questions, and children have 6 seconds to answer each one. There is no pass mark: teachers use the score to see who needs more support. The DfE tells parents they do not need to do anything extra to prepare, apart from the times tables practice teachers may ask for.

The check is for schools in England. Ask your child's teacher how times tables are checked at their school in the UAE.

Questions parents ask

What age should a child know their times tables?

By the end of Year 4 (age 8 to 9), children in British-curriculum schools should know all their times tables up to 12 x 12. That is the target in the National Curriculum for England. The 2, 5 and 10 tables come in Year 2, and the 3, 4 and 8 tables in Year 3.

What is the best order to learn times tables?

The UK Department for Education suggests: 10 then 5; then 2, 4 and 8 one after the other; then 3, 6 and 9; then 7; then 11 and 12. Each group builds on patterns from the one before, for example the 4 table is double the 2 table.

What is the multiplication tables check?

An online check that children in Year 4 at schools in England take in June. It has 25 questions, with 6 seconds to answer each, and there is no pass mark. The check is for schools in England, so ask your child's school in the UAE how it checks times tables.

How can I help my child learn times tables fast?

Research on memory favours short, frequent recall practice over long sessions. Try five to ten minutes of quick-fire questions on most days, asked out of order, with your child saying the whole fact aloud. Start each session with the facts they found hard last time.

My child is in Year 5 and still does not know them all. What should we focus on?

The facts up to 9 x 9. The Department for Education's guidance says these matter most for moving on, because they are needed for written multiplication and division in Year 5. Then add the 11 and 12 tables.

Do children need to know division facts too?

Yes. The National Curriculum asks for multiplication and division facts. Once a child knows 7 x 4 = 28, show them that this also gives 4 x 7, 28 ÷ 7 and 28 ÷ 4.

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