Multiplication Tables - Practice with printable multiplication table drills When I was in the last year of primary school, my teacher gave the whole class a multiplication test every Friday morning. The test consisted of 100 questions on the 1 - 12 times tables and we had 5 minutes to complete the test. 5 minutes may not sound like a lot if you are unfamiliar with the tables, but we completed the test easily within the time limit, and a large number of the 10 and 11 year olds in the class got 100 out of 100. The times tables were a vital part of our studies, and knowing them inside out kept us in good stead for the years of schooling to follow. Those same math skills have been useful to me ever since, and although I am now 48 years old, I still know them off by heart and can give you an immediate, reflex answer to any of the 12 times tables. Back in the day, we learned by rote. That is, we learned the tables by repeating them out loud until they rolled off the tongue instinctively. Today, rote learning has largely been replaced by fancy games designed by teachers who want to make learning fun. Those games might work, but so does rote learning and that is how I am teaching my own kids to learn the tables. This book provides a large number of table tests (with answers) to gauge your child's progress. They start off with the 1 and 2 times tables and work up to the 12 times table. There are tests that just include a single times table, while others combine 2, 3, 4 or more tables into a single test. The variety of tests means you can gradually increase the difficulty and range of the tests as your children learn more of the tables. The first half of the book has the standard X times Y Equals type question, whereas the second half of the book takes the pace up a notch to include fill in the blanks. How to Use this Book Ultimately, how your kids learn their tables is up to you, or the teacher. Personally, I would get the kids to learn a table by rote. 1 times 7 is 72 times 7 is 143 times 7 is 214 times 7 is 28 , and so on. Get then to repeat the tables over and over again. They can look at the tables as they start the process, but after a few repetitions, remove the printed copy of the tables and they'll find they can repeat the tables easily from memory. Once a table has been learned, give your child a test for that table. Each test in this book comes with an answer sheets, though as a parent (or teacher), you should really be able to mark these without the answers ;)When they've learned two sets of tables, give them a test that combines both of those tables into a single test. As more and more tables are learned, give them progressively more difficult tests to complete. The ultimate goal should be to get your children answering 100 questions from all 12 times tables, within a 5 minute period. When they can do that, they will be well set for their future studies, and life after school. The tests in this book can be photocopied (most home printers can do that), or your child can use the book as a workbook, filling in the answers directly. The answers each tests in on the reverse side of the test. Give your child the gift of maths. Help them learn their tables.