Times Tables Games — A Parent Guide to Practising at Home

A practical guide to times tables games you can play at home using everyday materials. Short, structured activities rooted in effective maths teaching practice — from building groups with objects to dice, card, movement and reasoning games.

This guide is designed to support children learning multiplication through short, structured games at home. The activities are rooted in widely used classroom approaches: building meaning through equal groups, using visual representations, practising recall with variation, and encouraging explanation of thinking.

You do not need specialist equipment or long sessions. Most games take 5 to 10 minutes.

Resources You Can Use

You do not need anything special. Use what is available in your home.

For counting and grouping

  • LEGO bricks
  • Pasta, rice, beans, cereal
  • Coins, buttons, bottle tops
  • Small toys (cars, animals, figures)

These are all referred to as “counters” in the games below.

For numbers

  • Paper and pencil
  • Cards with numbers written on them
  • A standard deck of playing cards (remove face cards)

For random numbers

  • Dice, if you have them
  • If you do not have dice:
    • write numbers 1–6 on slips of paper and draw two
    • or use Google’s online dice — just search “online dice” in Google

For movement games

  • Floor space
  • Paper numbers taped to the floor (optional)

The materials are interchangeable. The learning comes from how numbers are represented, not from the objects themselves.

Key Principles for Parents

Keeping these in mind will help the games do their job.

  • Multiplication is first about equal groups, not speed. Children benefit from seeing and building groups before recalling facts.
  • Repetition works best when spaced and varied. Short, frequent games with small changes support long-term recall more than long drills.
  • Explaining thinking matters. Saying how an answer was found strengthens understanding and recall.
  • All methods are valid at first. Counting, grouping, doubling, and repeated addition are legitimate strategies on the way to fluent recall.

1. Building and Grouping Games

These games support understanding of multiplication as equal groups.

Make the Groups

Materials: counters (LEGO, pasta, coins, etc.)

How to play

  1. Say a multiplication (e.g. 4 × 3).
  2. Ask the child to make 4 groups of 3.
  3. Count together by groups.

Extend

  • Swap the numbers and rebuild.
  • Discuss what stays the same and what changes.
  • Draw what was built on paper.

Learning focus: structure of multiplication, relationship between factors.

Build the Array

Materials: counters, paper

How to play

  1. Arrange counters in rows and columns.
  2. Count rows and columns.
  3. Write the multiplication that matches.

Learning focus: arrays as a visual model, linking objects to number sentences.

Cover the Array

Materials: paper, pencil, counters

How to play

  1. Draw an array (e.g. 5 rows of 4).
  2. Cover some rows or columns with paper.
  3. Ask: “How many are covered? How do you know?”

Learning focus: partitioning numbers, seeing multiplication as parts of a whole.

2. Dice and Card Games

These encourage recall while allowing time to think.

Roll and Multiply

Materials: dice, paper slips, or online dice

How to play

  1. Generate two numbers.
  2. Multiply them.
  3. Build or draw the groups if needed.

Adapt

  • Fix one number (e.g. always ×5) to focus on a specific table.
  • Take turns choosing the numbers.

Learning focus: repeated retrieval, linking recall to representation.

Roll, Build, Multiply

Materials: 2 dice, counters

How to play

  1. Roll both dice.
  2. Build the array or groups using counters.
  3. Say the multiplication and the total.

Learning focus: connecting concrete models to number sentences.

Multiplication War

Materials: playing cards or numbered paper cards

How to play

  1. Each player flips two cards.
  2. Multiply the numbers.
  3. Highest product wins the round.

Learning focus: comparing products, frequent practice across facts.

Multiplication Snap

Materials: cards 1–10 (two of each)

How to play

  1. Lay cards face down.
  2. Flip two cards.
  3. Say the multiplication fact.
  4. Keep the pair if correct.

Learning focus: repeated retrieval, number relationships.

Target Product

Materials: cards or paper slips

How to play

  1. Choose a target number (e.g. 24).
  2. Draw two numbers and multiply.
  3. Compare how close each result is to the target.

Learning focus: estimation, sense of size and scale.

3. Movement-Based Games

Movement is used here to represent number through action.

Number Line Walk

Materials: paper numbers, floor space

How to play

  1. Lay numbers in equal steps (e.g. 0, 4, 8, 12…).
  2. Call out a multiplication (e.g. 4 × 3).
  3. Walk the jumps together.

Learning focus: multiplication as repeated jumps, skip counting linked to multiplication.

Pass and Count

Materials: any small object

How to play

  1. Pass the object back and forth.
  2. Say the next multiple each time (e.g. 3, 6, 9…).
  3. Pause and write the matching multiplication sentence.

Learning focus: patterns in multiples, linking counting sequences to facts.

Ball Toss Multiplication

Materials: any soft ball (or a pair of socks bundled together)

How to play

  1. Say a multiplication fact as you throw.
  2. The other person answers before throwing back.
  3. Swap roles so the child sets questions too.

Learning focus: quick retrieval in a low-pressure format.

4. Paper-Based Reasoning Games

These support thinking about number relationships.

Times Tables Bingo

Materials: paper, pen

How to play

  1. Create a 3×3 or 4×4 grid with products.
  2. Call out multiplication questions.
  3. The child covers the correct answer.
  4. First to complete a row wins.

Extend: ask “Which other fact could also make that number?”

Learning focus: linking spoken multiplication to products, factor pairs.

Missing Number

Materials: paper, pencil

How to play

Write: ☐ × 6 = 24

Ask:

  • “What could go in the box?”
  • “How do you know?”

Encourage drawing or grouping if needed.

Learning focus: understanding factors, the relationship between multiplication and division.

True or False?

Materials: none

How to play

Say a statement (e.g. “7 × 5 = 40”).

Ask:

  • “Is it true or false?”
  • “How can we check?”

Learning focus: reasoning, using known facts to verify others.

Always, Sometimes, Never

Materials: none

How to play

Give statements such as:

  • “Multiplying by 1 gives the same number.”
  • “Multiplying by 10 makes a number bigger.”
  • “Multiplying two numbers gives an even number.”

Ask the child to decide and give examples.

Learning focus: generalisation, careful thinking about rules.

5. Using Known Facts to Find New Ones

These reduce the amount a child needs to memorise.

One More Group

Materials: counters or drawings

How to play

  1. Start with a known fact (e.g. 5 × 6 = 30).
  2. Add one more group to find 6 × 6.
  3. Compare the two totals.

Learning focus: building facts from other facts, relationships between tables.

Near Facts

Materials: paper

How to play

  1. Write a known fact.
  2. Use it to work out a nearby one (e.g. use 5 × 7 to find 6 × 7).

Learning focus: deriving results, understanding how tables connect.

How Many Ways?

Materials: paper

How to play

  1. Give a number (e.g. 24).
  2. Find all multiplication facts that make it.
  3. Build or draw at least one example.

Learning focus: factor pairs, structure of numbers.

How to Support Without Pressure

What helps

  • “Let’s figure it out together.”
  • “I like how you tried a different way.”
  • Letting them use fingers, objects or drawings at first.
  • Asking neutral prompts: “What did you do first?” and “How did you decide?”

What to avoid

  • Timed tests at home (use apps like Times Tables Check for that instead).
  • Saying “you should know this.”
  • Correcting instantly — give thinking time.

A Simple Weekly Structure

  • Monday: building and grouping game (5–10 mins)
  • Wednesday: dice or card game
  • Friday: movement game
  • Weekend: bingo, reasoning, or fact detective game

Consistency matters more than duration. Aim for three to five short sessions a week.

When to Look Further

Normal and expected:

  • Slow recall
  • Using strategies instead of instant answers (counting in groups, doubling, using near facts)

Worth exploring with your child’s teacher if:

  • They avoid maths activities entirely
  • They cannot explain simple groupings after repeated practice
  • Progress has stalled over several weeks

Games like the building and grouping activities in section 1 are especially useful in these situations.

Combine Games with Structured Practice

Games create natural repetition, but they work well alongside practice that tracks progress and covers all facts systematically. Times Tables Check is a free app designed for focused times tables practice — untimed mode for learning new facts, timed mode for building speed — then reinforce those facts with games at home.

For Year 4 children preparing for the Multiplication Tables Check, the app also offers full MTC simulations so your child can get used to the format and timing.