Make times tables practice a game
Times tables stick through regular practice, but chanting the same table every day gets boring. The wheel adds an element of chance: spin to pick a table, then practise it in a fun way. Mixed, random practice also helps students recall facts faster than always going in order.
Five quick games
- Speed round: spin a table and say it out loud as fast as possible. Time it and try to beat your record.
- Quick-fire questions: spin a table, then answer five random questions from it.
- Beat the teacher: the teacher answers too, and the class tries to finish first.
- Table bingo: students write nine answers from the spun table and cross them off as you call questions.
- Double spin: use this wheel with the 1–10 number wheel to create sums like 7 × 8.
Focus on tricky tables
Most children find the 6×, 7×, 8× and 12× tables hardest. Make those come up more often by adding them twice, or remove the tables that are already mastered. Save each version under My wheels, for example “Year 3 tables” and “Tricky tables”.
Times table tips
- Learn the 2×, 5× and 10× tables first; they follow easy patterns.
- The 9× table trick: the digits of each answer add up to 9 (18, 27, 36…).
- Remember that multiplication works both ways: if you know 3 × 8, you know 8 × 3.