Learning the Times Tables

How do we train our young six-or-seven-year-olds the Times Tables? Most parents and grandparents today would ask their children and grandchildren to commit the ‘times tables’ to memory by constant repetitions of the tables, starting with the Twos right through to the Twelves. Some of our children may not like this ‘commit to memory’ method of learning and we now have to find new ways to make the times tables fun for our younger generation.

The following illustrates one of such fun ways of training our young kids the Times Tables.

We start with a diagram representing groups, initially of groups of twos, then groups of threes and so on moving to groups of twelves. We show to the young children such diagrams and ask them questions like:

There are two pencils in one box, how many pencils are there? Two? Two pencils in one box is equal to two pencils. [Something that is obvious to us, but it is better that the children can relate and understand this concept at this stage.] Or, Put it another way, we can say 2 (two) x (times) 1 (one box) is 2 (two pencils in total).

Then, how many pencils are there in total if there are two pencils in each of two boxes? Four? Two pencils in each of two boxes is equal to four pencils in total. So, 2 (two) x (times) 2 (two boxes) is 4 (four pencils in total).

Repeat this line of communication until 2 x 5 = 10 and constantly asking the children to repeat the Two Times Table together with us.

For the subsequent Two Times Table from 2 x 6 on to 2 x 12, we use the Gogo Crazy Bone figurings as illustrations.

• 6 x 2 = 12

Six groups of two Gogo Crazy Bone figurings total twelve Gogo Crazy Bone figurings.

• 7 x 2 = 14

Seven groups of two Gogo Crazy Bone figurings total fourteen Gogo Crazy Bone figurings.  

DRAW this seven groups of two Gogo Crazy Bones figurings as shown below.

• 8 x 2 = 16

Eight groups of two Gogo Crazy Bone figurings total sixteen Gogo Crazy Bone figurings.

Arrange the following Gogo Crazy Bone figurings into groups of two figurings each.  How many groups have we got?

• 9 x 2 = 18

Nine groups of two Gogo Crazy Bone figurings total eighteen Gogo Crazy Bone figurings.

• 10 x 2 = 20

Ten groups of two Gogo Crazy Bone figurings total twenty Gogo Crazy Bone figurings.

• 11 x 2 = 22

Eleven groups of two Gogo Crazy Bone figurings total twenty-two Gogo Crazy Bone figurings.

• 12 x 2 = 24

Twelve groups of two Gogo Crazy Bone figurings total twenty-four Gogo Crazy Bone figurings.

Websites on this topic: Links: (1) https://youtu.be/EI2qZC1vUGk

(2) https://youtu.be/fYd_fqTpBfk (3) https://youtu.be/D9MNzKJOVpo