WorksheetsAbout this worksheet
Two kinds of practice live here. Table facts mixes up questions from the tables you choose, for example only 6 to 9, so the child cannot answer by chanting in order. The other types give long multiplication to be worked in columns.
The "Tables from" and "Tables up to" boxes matter only for table facts. A good path is tables 2, 5 and 10 first, then 3 and 4, then 6 to 9, and later 11 to 20 if the school asks for them.
What this skill is
Multiplication is adding the same number again and again in one step: 4 rows of 6 chairs is 6 + 6 + 6 + 6, or 4 times 6. A child needs two things. The first is the table facts, known by heart. The second is the column method, which breaks a big number into ones and tens, multiplies each part, and adds the results.
A worked example
Take 46 × 37. Think of 37 as 7 and 30.
- 46 × 7 = 322. Write it on the first line.
- 46 × 30: put a 0 in the ones place, then work 46 × 3 = 138. The second line is 1,380.
- Add the two lines: 322 + 1,380 = 1,702.
Estimate to check: 50 × 40 = 2,000, and both numbers were rounded up, so an answer a little under 2,000 is right.
Tips for parents and teachers
- Mixed facts show which tables are really known. If 7 times 8 keeps going wrong, make a sheet of only tables 7 and 8.
- For 2 digits by 2 digits, remind the child to put a zero in the ones place before multiplying by the tens digit.
- Let the child estimate first: 48 times 6 should be a little less than 300. An answer of 2,888 then looks wrong at once.
How to use this sheet at home and in class
- At home: use "Table facts" with a narrow range, such as tables 6 to 8, for a few minutes daily. Widen the range only when the sheet comes back nearly all correct.
- In class: give a 20 question table facts sheet as a warm-up and long multiplication as the main work. The first shows whether the second will go well.
- When long multiplication goes wrong, look at the working before the answer. Nine times out of ten the slip is a table fact or a forgotten carry, not the method.
Mistakes to watch for
- Forgetting the zero on the second line of a 2 digit by 2 digit sum, so 46 × 30 is written as 138.
- Adding the carried number before multiplying instead of after. In 46 × 7, six sevens are 42, carry 4; four sevens are 28, and then the 4 is added to make 32.
- Knowing a table only in order. A child who must chant from "7 ones are 7" to reach 7 × 8 needs mixed table facts, not more chanting.
What to try next
- Times tables worksheets: whole tables to learn and fill in.
- Division worksheets: the same facts turned around.
- Area and perimeter worksheets: multiplication used on shapes.
Ready settings by class
- Table facts 2 to 10, mixed up Class 3
- Multiplication, 2 digits by 1 digit Class 4
- Multiplication, 2 digits by 2 digits Class 5
Common questions
Up to which table should a child know?
Schools differ. Tables up to 10 are needed for all later arithmetic. Many Indian schools also ask for tables up to 20. Follow your school, and make sure 2 to 10 are quick and sure first.