If you listen in on your child’s numeracy class or she tells you about what she’s learning to do you’re likely to be surprised by how differently Maths is taught compared to when you were at school. There’s been a revolution in how maths, now called numeracy, is taught, which is not surprising given the pace of technical innovation over the past two or three decades. Out in the real world there is little need for people to be able to calculate long division or long multiplication sums – that’s what calculators are for. But in among all the ‘chunking’ and ‘gridding’ (ask your child’s teacher!) there remains an element that may seem old fashioned, but nevertheless remains indispensible to later numeracy and that’s the timestables.

Most adults recall learning at least some of the multiplication tables by rote and many are also keen to forget doing that, because it brings back the boredom of chanting 6 times 7 en masse, or being tested by a class teacher. Teaching methods have more or less left behind the concept of rote learning in an effort to make learning stimulating and meaningful, but that still leaves the timestables and they still have to be acquired somehow, because some GSCSE Maths exams have to be taken without a calculator and because it would be extremely difficult to progress to higher maths without the step up that the timestables provide.

Most class teachers introduce timestables to children at around the age of 7 or 8 and they are often taught in the form of games and rhymes and supported with a bit of ‘old fashioned’ class chanting. It helps to think of the timestables as a life skill, rather in the way that teaching your child to ride a bike or swim is giving the a life skill and, while you shouldn’t be looking to push your child to learn their tables in advance of what’s happening in school, this is one area where you can support their class learning.

Dos and Don’ts

• Do tackle times  table learning gently, a little at a time and preferably when your child is not overtired or keen to watch their favourite TV programme.
• Don’t show irritation if progress is slow or use the learning time as a punishment.
• Do start with the tables that have an easily acquired pattern, like 2s and 10s and save the harder ones for later on.
• Don’t put your child off Maths for life, by telling her that if she doesn’t learn she won’t understand Maths ever.
• Do look for ways to make the tables fun. Teaching Trends has around 20 timestables aids (or 2 x 10 if your prefer) from a times table chart (priced just £1.99) to a sing & learn CD (£7.19).