How to Memorize Multiplication Tables: 17 Tips for Your Kids
reviewed by Jo-ann Caballes
Updated on September 12, 2025
Sooner or later, all parents hit the question: “How will you make a child memorize the table of multiplication without this turning into a family nightmare?” As I’ve seen in my 10 years of experience in teaching math to elementary and middle school students, these 17 practical tips for memorizing mathematical tables can do wonders in your endeavors.
Key points
- Some of the best tips for multiplication table memorization include daily repetition and gamification, even if the study session is just 5-10 minutes a day.
- 1:1 sessions with a real expert, such as a Brighterly math tutor, can speed up memorization at an affordable price. Look for tutors who can create a personalized curriculum, as there’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to learning math.
- Making multiplication problems interactive and palpable by using songs, real-life examples, flash cards, and different everyday objects facilitates the process.
Steps in learning multiplication tables
Preparation step for learning multiplication tables
The preparation stage includes getting a hold of necessary materials like games, flash cards, books, copybooks, and subscriptions to relevant educational websites. These are crucial resources that will guide you and your child through the process of how to learn multiplication tables.
Note: Make sure you select tools and materials that are exciting and engaging to boost your child’s motivation and willingness to learn. If you’re hesitating about which math learning website to choose, opt for the best math learning websites.
First meeting: The start of memorizing multiplication tables
When you’re first getting started, introduce the multiplication table to your child and explain the need for learning it. Focus on how we use math skills — and especially multiplication — in all daily activities to spike their curiosity.
If your kid’s asking, “How to learn my multiplication tables fast?”, break down tables into smaller chunks and show them patterns and interconnections from the beginning.
Daily routine for learning multiplication tables
For optimal results, you need to ensure daily learning. While your child may be resistant at first, you have to insist on regular work.
My teaching practice shows that the answer to the question “How will you make a child memorize the table of multiplication?” is as simple as consistent study sessions. Once you make it a routine, you’ll see the first results within weeks.
To make it more interesting, use examples from real life, such as computer science. Or you can use the Costco shopping trip to show your kids why they need to know multiplication well.
Meanwhile, some parents prefer old-school ways, and while these solutions may look boring, they still work for some kids.
Relaxing days while memorizing multiplication tables
After a week, you should have a few relaxing days with your child. Alternatively, you can offer a day off after each times table. Your choice should depend on your child’s study pace.
While there are no tricks on how to memorize multiplication tables in one day, your child can learn the whole table in less than a month if you alternate daily practice with well-deserved breaks.
Regular repetitions for learning multiplication tables
To solidify newly gained knowledge, you should implement repetition by reviewing the tables. For instance, on the way to school, you can ask your kid to count cars and multiply them by the number of days in a week.
How to memorize the multiplication table?
- Work with a qualified math tutor
- Print and use multiplication worksheets
- Give your child short tests
- Explain the logic behind multiplication
- Use memory tricks
- Implement regular practices
- Make an easy start
- Start repeating aloud
- Adopt an interactive approach
- Create games
- Leverage visual memory
- Use poems
- Start to learn tables step by step
- Apply simplifying tips
- Start lessons with real-life objects
- Teach the addition method
- Try finger-counting
#1 Learn multiplication tables fast with a qualified math tutor
One of the best pieces of advice I can offer on how to learn multiplication fast is to study with a private tutor. Backed by their training in pedagogy, these professionals understand how a child’s brain works, so they can create personalized programs tailored to the specific learning style of each student. Data show that high-dosage tutoring (3 times/week) helps students improve learning results by 3-15 months worth of knowledge, depending on their grade level.
💡For more benefits of tutoring, please check the article showing seven reasons why such sessions can accelerate the learning progress compared to unguided study. While there’s no trick for those asking how to memorize multiplication tables in 1 hour, a great tutor can reduce study times to a few weeks.
How to learn multiplication tables fast
To learn multiplication tables quickly and easily with the help of the Brighterly reading and math tutoring platform, your child will have personalized lessons with a professional tutor who uses proven memorization techniques. The tips they provide will make learning the multiplication chart both fast and enjoyable, creating a lifelong love for math.
Brighterly math tutors understand the importance of building a math foundation. Most of them have 5+ years of experience in teaching kids, so they can find a suitable approach for any student. These are not just words — the effectiveness of their methodology is testified in the endless positive reviews by parents on Trustpilot.
But the Brighterly math program tutors know tricks to learn multiplication tables not only fast but also permanently, so that your child’s knowledge will be carved into their subconscious forever.
🤩Additionally, the teachers at Brighterly use games, quizzes, and other interactive methods to ensure your child is interested in new knowledge. Moreover, their philosophy is that quality education should be accessible to everyone, so 1:1 tutoring sessions come at a very affordable price that starts at $17.30/lesson with a 12-month plan that includes three classes/week.
Note: Brighterly math tutors customize 1:1 lessons to meet your child’s unique learning style in each math class. During the first free session, the tutor will analyze your kid’s knowledge strengths and gaps to prepare an individualized curriculum aligned with both the student’s needs and the Common Core standards.
#2 Easy way to learn multiplication tables with multiplication worksheets
Teaching a multiplication table with worksheets is an excellent way that enables regular practice and repetition. These sheets can help your child recall the knowledge outside of classes, creating neural connections in the brain. You may ask on forums, “Is there a trick to learning multiplication?” and many people will tell you that repeated, out-of-class practice is the key to success.
Regular practice with fun worksheets is the easiest way to memorize multiplication table since it allows your kid to revisit patterns, identify gaps, and gradually build fluency without pressure.
How to teach a child to memorize multiplication tables with worksheets?
Brighterly math worksheets combine repetition with variety to help your child memorize multiplication tables. The structured worksheets help children practice actively, recognize patterns, and gradually store multiplication facts in their long-term memory, all while having fun.
Brighterly provides free math multiplication worksheets to make learning easy and exciting for students and affordable for families. The featured math problems offer various tasks, from tricky retrieval and fact groups trivia to real-life examples.
#3 Memorize multiplication table with short tests
The third easiest way to learn multiplication tables is to use interactive math tests. They make learning more effective by allowing kids to practice in a structured format while tracking their progress.
Note: Students using interactive digital tools, such as online practice, improve math test scores by 24.2%, compared to an increase of 8.3% for those relying on traditional methods. So, to solidify your child’s knowledge, look for interesting online test questions.
Brighterly offers free math tests for grades 1-9 to diagnose your child’s level and identify knowledge gaps. The multiplication table tests help students reinforce learning and boost confidence in math.
#4 Help your kid memorize the multiplication table through logic and principles
Your child should understand the logic and principles behind math, as it’s the key to success. Solely memorizing without answering the “Why” question is not an effective way to remember the multiplication chart, as the memory can fade.
While analyzing the multiplication table, you will find specific principles and logical patterns in each line. When a child understands them, it will be easier to learn and remember the table. Ultimately, it’s essential to demonstrate patterns to your child and then reinforce them through practice.
#5 Memorize multiplication tables by leveraging memory techniques
You can leverage memory techniques as one of the greatest tricks to learn multiplication tables. There are countless techniques to do this, such as:
- Chunking method: Break multiplication into small chunks.
- Visualization: Make the multiplication task a fancy story.
- Pattern recognition: Math is all about patterns, and the best way to learn multiplication tables is to understand those patterns.
These strategies can help you learn the material quickly, as they simplify the educational process. Also, modern parents share multiple tips for memorizing multiplication tables on Reddit.
#6 Learn a multiplication table by implementing regular practices
Continuous exercise is a crucial part of memorization. Try to spend at least half an hour each day repeating what you have learned before and acquiring new tables. It’s an easy way to memorize multiplication table.
#7 Memorize multiplication tables and make an easy start
The main task of a parent is to make an easy start for their child’s math learning. This is a good tip to help memorize the multiplication table, as an effective study process shouldn’t be hard overall.
A simple approach is to begin with the 2, 5, and 10 times tables, as these are usually the easiest. This helps build confidence to move forward.
Once the child feels comfortable, gradually move on to other tables. It’s one of those tricks to learn multiplication tables that prevents feeling overwhelmed.
#8 Easy way to learn multiplication table: Start repeating aloud
Another fun and easy way to memorize the multiplication table is to recite it out loud. When learning the table, ask your child to repeat aloud. The more children repeat numbers and patterns, the better they will memorize them.
#9 Learn multiplication tables fast by adopting an interactive approach
No one likes boring lessons, so adopting interactive practices will make learning math more fun and fruitful. You can use interactive tools, like pictures, math apps for kids, and other materials — all these can help, as sparking natural curiosity is the best way to memorize multiplication tables.
Capitalize on your child’s interests to motivate them. If they like video games, look for game-based math websites. If they prefer singing and dancing, incorporate those practices into your learning routine. There are great ways on how to teach a child to memorize multiplication tables without stress, and exciting flash cards are one of these, as suggested by Reddit parents.
In other words, find your way to make math fun for your child. If studying feels like playing, they’ll be interested and naturally ask for more lessons.
#10 Memorize multipliсation by creating games
If you wonder how to teach multiplication tables, try creating your own math games. For example, you can prepare the multiplication table with gaps and task your child with filling in the missing numbers. Or, you can ask your child to make a table for you. During the process, the student will think about patterns and develop a strategy for them.
#11 Learn multiplication tables easily with visual memory
Boosting visual memory is a simple way on how to learn multiplication tables. As a variant, you can use the Pythagoras square to ensure your child visualizes and understands the concept behind multiplication.
#12 Easy way to learn multiplication tables: Use poems to memorize
You can try to use math-related poems to teach the multiplication table. This unusual way works very well with more creative kids.
For instance, here is the “Table of 9” children’s math rhyme:
Nine, eighteen, twenty-seven, thirty-six,
Learning nines is a nifty fix!
Nine, eighteen, twenty-seven, thirty-six,
Practice hard, and you’ll get your tricks!
#13 How to memorize multiplication tables for kids step by step
Working through the tables column by column is another easy way to learn multiplication tables. This organized method suits most kids.
Foundational concepts for learning multiplication tables
- The first factor is a number that will be added a certain number of times.
- The second factor is a number showing how many times the first factor must be added to obtain the product.
- The product is the value obtained from repeated addition, showing what this operation is equal to.
The best way to memorize times tables is to simplify the process by showing your child the concept of interchangeable factors. Demonstrate that “4 times 5” and “5 times 4” lead to the same result, which is 20. This simple tip helps memorize multiplication tables faster.
#14 Best way to memorize multiplication tables fast: Use simplifying tips
Multiplication tables have many interconnections and regulations, so using simplifying tips will make memorizing easier.
The 3 best tips for quick learning
- If one of the factors is 2, the same number must be added to the second number. For example, 6*2 = 6 + 6 = 12.
- Children learn the multiplication table by 5 easily once they know that the results in it are half as small as in the column by 10: 10*6 = 60, and 5*6 = 30.
- If you want to perform an operation with 9, you need to add 0 to the original number and subtract the same number. In the expression 6*9, the solution is 60 – 6 = 56, so 6*9 = 56.
#15 How to learn multiplication tables: Start lessons with real-life objects
Another great answer to the question “How to memorize multiplication tables?” is to start lessons with real-world physical objects. Take out all the toys from the basket and divide them into pairs. If you are teaching your child the 2 times table, give them 4 pairs of objects to make 8, so 2*4 = 8. Eventually, they’ll find out that 4 sets of 2 are 8.
Also, let your kid take their toys to math class. Such fun ways to learn multiplication will stimulate them to study more.
#16 How to memorize multiplication tables fast: Teach the addition method
The easiest and best way to learn multiplication tables is to use the addition method. For example, if you want to multiply 5*5, you can add that number 5 times to get the answer: 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 25, which is 5*5 = 25.
#17 Learn multiplication tables trying finger-counting
Your child can start practicing finger-counting to learn the times table by 9. First, spread all 10 fingers in front of you. To calculate 9*1, lower the 1st finger, or the left little finger. What’s left? 9 fingers! Sounds like the easy way to memorize multiplication table, right?
Now, for 9*2, drop the second finger, or the left ring finger. What is left now? 1 finger and a space followed by 8 fingers is 18. This method works up to 9*9 (8 and 1 or 81).
How to memorize multiplication tables in one day?
While it’s impossible to memorize multiplication tables in one day, your child can do it within a couple of weeks if you combine a few of the tips I suggest. My practice shows that integrating 1:1 tutoring with worksheets, frequent tests, and game based learning is usually the fastest way to learn multiplication.
Note: The Brighterly math program focuses on a personalized learning approach as each kid requires a special touch. Book 1st free class to see what difference an experienced tutor can make!
Ready to help your child memorize the multiplication tables fast and easy?
How long does it take to memorize multiplication tables?
Usually, it takes a month or two to memorize the multiplication table. The actual time depends on:
- Current math skills
- Lesson frequency
- Study approach
- Student’s attitude
- Chosen learning tips
- Individual circumstances
Keep in mind that repetition and practice are part of the process. Speaking of what is the easiest way to memorize multiplication tables, it’s safe to say that it is real-life calculations. This helps children understand the importance of knowing math in their lives.
Why should children memorize the multiplication table?
Children should memorize the multiplication table to build fundamental math skills that will help them excel at school and succeed throughout life. Knowing math makes solving complex problems easier. The skills can also be used in real-life situations and careers. It also helps acquire confidence through trust in your knowledge.
It’s essential to note that memorizing multiplication charts not only makes doing math faster. Indeed, it helps grow memory functions, which are crucial for young children’s development.
But in case you’re wondering, “Is there a trick to learning multiplication?”, unfortunately, there’s no magic. The only way is to persistently repeat the material day by day.
Mistakes in learning multiplication facts
The most common mistakes parents make when helping their children learn the multiplication table include failing to understand the concept behind multiplication, trying to memorize everything at once, starting too late in the school year, and not exercising daily. These misconceptions create unnecessary chaos and stress for the family, preventing the student from successfully learning how to multiply.
Instead, an easy way to learn multiplication tables is to explain the logic, tackle one chart at a time, start early, practice regularly, and have days off in between. Working with an expert tutor also helps tremendously.
How to teach multiplication to struggling students?
The most effective way to teach multiplication tables to struggling students is to hire a math tutor who has the qualifications to work with struggling children. They can develop a customized learning plan and educational materials that address the specific requirements in an efficient, yet respectful and considerate manner.
Additionally, you can look for multiplication worksheets to practice at home, math games that make memorization fun even for kids with learning challenges, and songs or rhymes to further facilitate the process.
What is the best trick to remember tables? Conclusion
The best way to memorize multiplication tables is to combine multiple techniques. You can use repetition, songs, and visual aids. You can also try a memorize multiplication tables game to make studying more entertaining. And if you want your child to learn how to multiply in a stress-free manner, Brighterly 1:1 math tutoring is your best option.
With Brighterly, your family gets:
✅ Personalized, 1:1 tutoring matching the particular needs of your kid
✅ Expert math tutors who know how to meet the needs of any student
✅ Free math worksheets to practice multiplication skills daily
✅ Free math tests to track progress
✅ Affordable pricing to fit your budget
Ready to find out the easiest way to learn multiplication? Book 1st free class to see why thousands of families choose Brighterly as the #1 math assistant for their kids.