At What Age Should a Child Learn Multiplication Tables
Multiplication is one of the most foundational skills of math. I have found that students that do not know their multiplication will often struggle with math for the rest of their schooling career. As a parent, you may be wondering if your child is on track when it comes to learning their multiplication tables or if they are ready to move on to multiplication. You may even be asking the question at what age should a child learn multiplication tables.
Traditionally multiplication is learned in 3rd grade and mastered by the end of 4th grade. My motto is success begins early and I often start working on multiplication with kids in 2nd grade on multiplication so they have more time to master it. However, I think that really you need to wait until students understand a few concepts like adding, and skip counting. This will means they are ready.
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At What Age Should a Child Learn Multiplication Tables #1: Learning in 3rd Grade
From pre-school children should be learning the basics of math. The best way to do this is to focus on the concept of counting and grouping items together, these are foundational skills for multiplication. This is normally why they are introduced and mastered before 3rd grade. By the 3rd grade, your children should have mastered the basics of addition. Since this is the case 3rd grade is traditionally when a child starts to learn multiplication tables. If your child is in 3rd grade they really need to start having daily practice on their multiplication tables.
One great way to do this is through multiplication drills you can get printable ones on websites like mathdrills.com or mathaids.com. They have several different types of multiplication drills that will have students practicing all of their multiplication tables.
I also have a bundle of multiplication drills that are themed for different holidays out of the year so that your students can practice their multiplication tables. It will also not feel boring or repetitive because the clip art and the theme change. They are available on Boom Cards or my Teachers Pay Teachers store check them out by clicking here.
At What Age Should a Child Learn Multiplication Tables #2: Learning in 4th grade
In 4th grade, students are usually able to memorize multiplication facts with basic numbers. You should use this time to focus on mastering multiplication facts with 2-digit numbers. It is a good idea to have your child use flashcards or an online multiplication app if they have not got their foundation with the basic facts yet.
If your 4th graders have mastered their basic facts they can move on to double-digit multiplication. I have written several blog posts about teaching double-digit multiplication but my favorite one can be found here. Also, one of my best-selling double-digit multiplication products is my lattice multiplication bundle. This will give you printable and digital versions of my lattice multiplication activities which are perfect for students who are learning the concept of double-digit multiplication.
At What Age Should a Child Learn Multiplication Tables #3: Learning in Second Grade
In second grade teachers should focus on simple addition facts and skip counting. Skip counting is when you say a number and then jump over a number. Then say it again, but jump over 2 numbers. For example, when counting by 2 you would say 0, 2, 4, 6, 8. You can have your students do this will all their times tables and they will soon learn the patterns. This may seem confusing now, but it will make more sense when they master it. It is a great activity to do at the beginning of the day every day and is a precursor to multiplication. If students have mastered this they can practice multiplication with games, drills, flashcards, and more.
At What Age Should a Child Learn Multiplication Tables #4: Learning after they mastered addition
Once a child’s addition is mastered, it is time to learn multiplication. To make sure they have mastered addition it is a good idea to have them practice addition facts with different numbers so they become comfortable with the addition with different numbers. This will make them more prepared to learn multiplication. This can be done in a few ways. You can have the child use a multiplication app or flashcards, or you can have the child write multiplication problems out. This can be difficult for younger kids, but you can make it easier by focusing on the basic multiplication tables first like the 1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s. If your child takes longer to master addition than the 2nd-4th grade then they should focus on addition before they move on.
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At What Age Should a Child Learn Multiplication Tables #5: Learning after they understand skip counting
Once a child has mastered skip counting and understands how to use it when adding numbers, it is time to start working on multiplication. Skip counting is a precursor to multiplication and it will lay a good foundation for students. They have to start equating the skip counting with multiplication problems; however, so you could have them write out their skip counting pattern and then write the multiplication problems that go with it so they get the idea that the counting of numbers is associated with multiplication equations.
At What Age Should a Child Learn Multiplication Tables #6: When they are ready
Once a child has mastered addition, and skip counting, they are ready to learn their multiplication tables. I have seen students be ready to learn significantly earlier than the 3rd grade and others who are not ready even in 4th grade. When you start to learn multiplication, it is important to practice on a regular basis. It is recommended that you practice your multiplication facts 1-2 times a week so they become more comfortable with it. Now that your child is ready to learn their multiplication tables, they can focus on becoming more comfortable with multiplication. Daily practice will help with that and fun games and activities will make it even more fun. If you want some daily practice ideas and even more multiplication activities for all levels you need to grab my ultimate multiplication tool kit it is free for subscribers. All you need to do is click the image below to sign up for my email list and I will send you a copy.
That is it for today’s post on multiplication tables. I hope you found some good information about when to learn multiplication tables for your child. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and I will try to answer the best I can. Also please consider sharing this post so that others can benefit as well.