TIMES TABLES
I’ve found the quickest ever way to learn your Times Tables! My son’s class are at different stages, and the teacher’s insisting they know them asap. So she wouldn’t be impressed with me. Embarrassingly, I still struggle with a few of the middle ones, though felt better when a friend told me she didn’t know hers off by heart. And she has a top degree in Economics!
Trying to get a child to learn something by rote that you don’t know yourself isn’t easy, but I normally use good old fashioned bluff to get me through. Until now.
Me: “Son, what is 8 x 6?”
Him: “Ummmm. Errrrrrr. Ummmm. (10 seconds later) …..
“48?”
Me: “Yes, but you need to know it without thinking. Just like if someone asks your name”
Him: “Ha ha, you don’t know your Times Tables, Mum!”
Me (indignantly): “I jolly well do”
Him: “No you don’t. OK what’s 9 x 8? Go on. Quick!”
Me: “What do YOU think it is?” I ask, making a speedy calculation on my fingers
Him: “There you are, you don’t know. You’re moving your fingers”
Me: “Look this isn’t for my benefit (I hear my own mother saying), it’s for yours”
Him: “But we’ve got calculators nowadays! You only had a SLATE with CHALK in olden times!
Me: “Oh look, it’s our bus stop! Press the button quick and grab your backpack”
SAVED BY THE BELL!!!
So I devised some mnemonics to help him (me) learn something he (I) should have learnt a VERY long time ago. We are now having A LOT of fun and we’ve both (almost) got them all off pat.
Let me know if they help you.
This is brilliant – a bum red! I will definitely be using these when we get to times tables – meanwhile I have a few months to revise my “middle area”.
Glad you like and welcome to the ‘middle area needs revising’ club!
Ha ha ha. Love it. I need one for seven eights. I want to print this and have it near the table of crap…I mean the dining table/craft table/homework table/ DIY table.
Tables tables everywhere.
seven eights eh? I’ll get to work on it for you. Do feel free to print it out – I’d be honoured to be near the table of crap 😉
I remember way back when, when I was in grade 5, the teacher would make us stand up in pairs and say them out loud. If we screwed up the next pair had to recite the correct times we were doing. It could be embarrassing but it was actually quite fun, because we would race through them.
Sounds like a good idea your teacher had. I was unwell for a while and for some reason never caught up. Just so surprised at the number of people I’ve been speaking with recently who don’t know them. Had assumed it was like learning to read and everyone just knew. Thanks for commenting x
You are a genius! I wish I’d had these when i was younger. I am crap at times tables, but these will surely help!
Fantastic. Thanks for letting me know. I’m considering doing them all but it would run to a hell of a lot of drawings ! x
A very simple but no doubt effective approach! I will be copying you!
The sincerest form of flattery – I thank you!
Innovative, though am sure my son would replicate the pictures, albeit less artistically, in his test,still may well work for me! And brings a smile here!
That’s a thought – wonder what the teacher would think if he does that. On the other hand, my DS’s teacher is going to show these to the class next week so could be on the curriculum by next year 🙂
Ha, brilliant!
I was awful with my times tables at school.
Maybe I will start this method with Lily…..never too young to learn 😉
I think you’re right, never too young. It might be an idea to get ahead of the game by chanting the tables to ones bump. The baby should be GCSE standard
maths by Reception year 😉
Absolutely brilliant! I will remember this when I need it!
Thank you, glad it’ll come in handy. If you’re like me, words and pictures are much easier to remember than numbers.
Fabulous! I will show my kids they will love these xxx
Great – i’m really happy they’re going down so well 🙂
Brilliant, will bookmark for when my kids are old enough! Thanks for linking up to #brillblogposts please do add my badge or link back. Thanks
That’s great, hope it’ll help them! BTW I’ve got your badge on my site already, it would be great if you’d like to link back to Heir Raising too 🙂
Another brilliant post. I love the cartoons, especially ‘a bum red’ – I wonder if your son explained to the teacher how he had made progress so quickly!
Thanks Suzanne! Unbelievably, the teacher loved them (I’d written them out as an idea on a scrap of paper one morning and she loved them, so after drawing them all up, I sent her a link to my blog and said she’d show them to the children). I do wonder how the children will get on in exams though if they have to do an oral maths test.
Haha ohhh these are so cool – I actually said some out loud! I could do with knowing some of these.
Thanks for linking up to Loud n Proud this week 😀
I am pleased. Wasn’t sure if this fit the bill for Loud n Proud, but I was very proud of the success they had at my son’s school. Amazed in fact!
Love it! Very funny 🙂
I know my tables off by heart and don’t understand why my kids don’t. I’m sure these would help!
Seems to be a variety of different ideas on education these days. My son’s teacher very insistent the kids learn them, but others in parallel classes aren’t so bothered. Glad you like my version however Sarah x