Blog · October 23, 2026

11 multiplication tricks that make times tables easier

The best multiplication tricks aren't magic. They turn a fact your kid doesn't know yet into one they already do. Here are eleven that work, each with an example you can check together.

1. Times 0 and times 1

Any number times 0 is 0. Any number times 1 stays the same: 1 × 9 = 9.

2. Times 2: double it

2 × 9 is 9 + 9 = 18. If your kid knows their doubles from addition, they already know the 2 times table.

3. Times 4: double, then double again

4 × 6: double 6 is 12, double 12 is 24.

4. Times 8: double three times

8 × 6: 6 → 12 → 24 → 48. Three doubles, and the answer is 48.

5. Times 10: add a zero

For whole numbers, multiplying by 10 puts a zero on the end: 10 × 6 = 60.

6. Times 5: half of times 10

5 × 6 is half of 60, which is 30. That's also why every answer in the 5 times table ends in 0 or 5.

7. Times 9: times 10, take one away

9 × 7 is 70 − 7 = 63. A second check: in 9 × 2 up to 9 × 10, the digits of the answer add up to 9 (6 + 3 = 9), and the tens digit is one less than the number you're multiplying by (7 → 6).

8. The 9s finger trick

Hold up all ten fingers. To work out 9 × 4, fold down the fourth finger from the left. There are 3 fingers to the left of it and 6 to the right, so the answer is 36. It works from 9 × 1 to 9 × 10.

9. Times 11: say the digit twice

From 11 × 1 to 11 × 9, write the digit twice: 11 × 7 = 77. After that, use times 10 plus one more: 11 × 12 is 120 + 12 = 132.

10. Times 3 and times 6: build on what you know

• Times 3 is a double plus one more: 3 × 8 is 16 + 8 = 24.
• Times 6 is times 5 plus one more: 6 × 8 is 40 + 8 = 48. Bonus pattern: 6 times an even number ends in the same digit as that number (6 × 2 = 12, 6 × 4 = 24, 6 × 6 = 36, 6 × 8 = 48).

11. Turn it around

3 × 9 and 9 × 3 are both 27. If one way round feels hard, try the other: 9 × 3 is easy with the times 9 trick (30 − 3 = 27). The Common Core standards for grade 3 teach this as using properties of operations to multiply.

Making tricks stick

Tricks are a bridge, not the goal. Use them to work a fact out, then practice it until your kid just knows it. Our suggestion: a few minutes a day of quick practice, with extra time on the facts that are still slow.

Try the tricks in Times Table Dash