5 Multiplication Tricks That Actually Stick (For Kids Who Struggle)

How do you build a new fact from a known one?

Start with a known multiplication fact and explain how another fact follows from it. Use skip counting, reversed factors or a split product, then check the result with a model.

The five strategies below use number patterns and smaller facts to work out a product. Show how each strategy works with an example, then let the learner choose a method they can explain.

Trick 1: The Skip-Count Anchor (×2, ×5, ×10)

Before touching anything else, lock in ×2, ×5, and ×10. These three tables follow obvious patterns kids already know — doubling (2, 4, 6, 8...), nickels (5, 10, 15, 20...), and adding zero (10, 20, 30...). Once a child has these three cold, they have anchors for the rest. For example, 6 × 7 feels impossible, but 6 × 5 = 30 plus two more 6s = 42 is doable.

Trick 2: The 9s Finger Trick

For the 9 times table, hold up both hands. To compute 9 × 4, fold down the 4th finger. The fingers to the LEFT of the folded one (3) are the tens digit; the fingers to the RIGHT (6) are the ones digit. Answer: 36. This works for every 9× fact from 9×1 to 9×10. Kids who could not memorize 9s suddenly nail every one of them in a single afternoon.

Bonus: every multiple of 9 has digits that sum to 9 (3+6=9, 5+4=9, 8+1=9). Show this to your child as a self-check.

Trick 3: The Commutative Shortcut

Many kids do not realize that 7 × 8 and 8 × 7 are the same answer. The full times table looks like 100 facts, but thanks to the commutative property, half of them are duplicates. Once your child masters 2× through 5×, they have already learned half of every other table for free.

Show this visually with a 10×10 grid. Color one half. The remaining facts to memorize drop from 100 to 55. Then subtract the ×0 and ×1 rows (gimmes), and the ×10 row, and you are looking at about 36 hard facts. That is one a day for a month — totally achievable.

Trick 4: Build Up From a Known Fact

When a child blanks on 6 × 7, teach them to build up from a fact they know. They probably know 6 × 6 = 36. So 6 × 7 is just 36 + 6 = 42. This works for any fact: take a nearby known fact and add or subtract one group. Over time, the build-up step gets faster until it becomes recall.

This is the trick traditional drill ignores. A struggling child who builds up from 5×7 = 35 to get 6×7 = 42 in 4 seconds is doing real math — not failing memorization.

How do you choose between game practice and cards?

Use a small set of facts for repeated practice, and ask the learner to explain how they found a product. Games and cards offer different formats. Choose a manageable amount of practice rather than targeting an unsupported number of problems or a predicted memory gain.

Best Free Games for Struggling Multipliers

Try Equal Sums Memory for gentle, untimed pair-matching of products and factors — perfect for kids who freeze under time pressure. Move to Times Table Rally for a confidence-building drive across the farm. Archery Math and Math Man add gradually more pace once basics are solid. Mergis turns multiplication into a calming puzzle where kids build products by combining tiles — great for kids who hate arcade timers.

A 4-Week Plan for a Struggling Multiplier

An example sequence is skip-counting with 2, 5 and 10; a 9-times-table strategy; the commutative property; then deriving harder products from known facts. Change the pace when needed. Use a game or a few written examples to check the learner’s explanation before moving on.

When to Worry (and When Not To)

If multiplication practice remains difficult, discuss the learner’s current work with their teacher. These activities offer ways to practice; they do not identify the cause of a difficulty or promise progress within a set number of weeks.