How to Help Your Child Learn Their Times Tables: A Term 4 and Summer Plan That Works

Most Australian children are expected to know their multiplication facts up to 10 × 10 by the end of Year 4, and the best way to help at home is short, regular, low-pressure practice that builds understanding before speed. With Term 4 underway and the long summer break ahead, now is an ideal time to check which facts your child knows confidently, fill the gaps, and make sure they walk into next year's classroom without times tables holding them back.

This guide explains what's expected at each year level, a sensible order for learning the tables, a 10-minute daily routine, and games you can play over summer.

When should children know their times tables?

Under the Australian Curriculum (Version 9), which the states have adopted or adapted (Victoria's version is the Victorian Curriculum 2.0), multiplication facts are built up gradually. The broad pattern looks like this:

Year level	What's broadly expected
Year 1–2	Skip counting, equal groups, sharing, and seeing multiplication as repeated addition
Year 3	Recall multiplication facts for 2, 3, 5 and 10, and related division facts
Year 4	Recall multiplication facts up to 10 × 10, and related division facts
Year 5–6	Use facts fluently for multi-digit multiplication, division, fractions and decimals
Year 7 and beyond	Facts are assumed knowledge for ratios, algebra, indices and more

Wording differs slightly between states, so check ACARA or your state curriculum authority (in Victoria, the VCAA) if you want the precise standard.

Why times tables matter so much

Knowing multiplication facts quickly isn't about showing off. It's about freeing up your child's thinking for the harder part of a problem.

A Year 6 student simplifying 24/36 or a Year 7 student solving 3x = 21 needs the facts to arrive instantly. If they're counting on their fingers, they often lose track of the bigger question. That's why gaps in times tables tend to show up later as trouble with fractions, long division and algebra, rather than as a times tables problem.

Multiplication facts also appear throughout the numeracy test, which is one reason they feature in our calm guide to NAPLAN preparation.

Understanding first, memorising second

Children who only chant tables often forget them, or can't use them in a word problem. Before drilling, make sure your child understands what multiplication means.

Three ways to build understanding

• Arrays: Lay out 3 rows of 4 buttons or Lego bricks. Turn the layout sideways to show that 3 × 4 and 4 × 3 give the same answer.
• Skip counting: Count by 3s while walking up stairs or bouncing a ball. This connects the sequence 3, 6, 9, 12 to the facts.
• Doubling and halving: If your child knows 2 × 6 = 12, then 4 × 6 is double that (24), and 8 × 6 is double again (48).

Once a child can explain why 6 × 7 = 42, the recall work becomes much easier.

A sensible order to learn the tables

Teaching the tables from 1 to 12 in strict order isn't the most efficient path. This sequence lets each new set build on the last:

1. 2s, 10s and 5s. These follow patterns children already know: doubles, place value and counting in fives on a clock.
2. 4s and 8s. Double the 2s to get the 4s; double the 4s to get the 8s.
3. 3s and 6s. The 6s are double the 3s.
4. 9s. Use the trick of 10 times, then take one group away (9 × 7 = 70 − 7 = 63), or notice that the digits of each answer add to 9.
5. 7s last. By now, almost every 7s fact is already known from another table.

Here's the reassuring part: because order doesn't matter in multiplication, once the 1s, 2s, 5s and 10s are secure, there are only about 21 facts left to learn up to 10 × 10. Many of those are covered by doubling. Telling your child this can make the job feel far less daunting.

A 10-minute daily routine

Short and frequent beats long and occasional. Try this most days:

1. Warm-up (2 minutes): Skip count aloud through a table your child already knows well.
2. Focus facts (5 minutes): Pick three or four facts they're unsure of. Build them with objects, say them, write them, then ask them in mixed order.
3. Mixed review (3 minutes): Ask a handful of facts from earlier tables, including division ("What's 42 divided by 6?").

Keep a simple list of tricky facts on the fridge and tick them off as they become automatic. Celebrate progress, not perfection.

Games that work over summer

The summer holidays are long, and skills can get rusty. A few minutes of play a few times a week keeps facts warm without feeling like school.

• Multiplication snap or war: Each player flips two cards and multiplies; the higher product wins the cards.
• Car questions: Take turns asking each other facts. Let your child quiz you, too, and make the occasional deliberate mistake for them to catch.
• Dice challenge: Roll two dice, multiply, and race to fill a 1–36 grid.
• Fact families: Give one fact (6 × 8 = 48) and ask for the other three (8 × 6, 48 ÷ 6, 48 ÷ 8).
• Real-life maths: "Sausages come in packs of 6. How many in 4 packs?" Barbecue season offers plenty of chances.

What to avoid

• Pressure and comparison. Comparing siblings or classmates rarely helps and often creates maths anxiety.
• Timed drills too early. Speed comes after accuracy. If timers cause tears, drop them for now and later let your child try to beat their own previous score.
• Endless worksheets. A page of 50 identical questions teaches boredom. Variety keeps the brain engaged.
• Skipping division. Recalling 7 × 8 isn't enough if 56 ÷ 7 is a mystery. Practise both together.

Signs your child may need extra support

Some children need more than home practice. Consider a conversation with their teacher if:

• they are in Year 5 or above and still count on fingers for most facts
• they know facts one day and seem to lose them the next, despite regular practice
• maths homework regularly ends in frustration or avoidance
• their end-of-year report flags number fluency as an area for growth

These aren't reasons to panic. They simply suggest that a closer look at the underlying number skills would help. Our Year 3 maths and Year 4 maths pages outline the foundations that times tables rest on, and if your child is heading into secondary school, our Year 7 maths page shows where these facts get put to work.

Making the most of Term 4 and the holidays

A simple plan for the weeks ahead:

• Now (Term 4): Spend one session quickly checking which facts your child knows instantly, which take a moment, and which they don't know. Start the daily routine with the shakiest facts.
• End of term: Read the school report together and note any maths goals.
• Summer holidays: Swap the routine for games two or three times a week. Keep it light.
• Late January: A week of brief daily review before school returns helps facts feel fresh on day one.

If you'd like a clearer picture of where your child stands, MeritVy offers a FREE academic assessment that looks at number fluency alongside other key maths skills, so you know exactly what to work on. You can read about how our small-group tutoring works, explore our maths tutoring for Years 1–10, or book a FREE assessment at our Berwick centre.

Whichever path you choose, remember that steady, friendly practice works. A few minutes a day, starting this term, can make next year's maths feel a great deal easier.