1 times table

The 1 times table in one sentence

The 1 times table is the easiest table there is: any number times 1 is that number. 1 × 5 = 5, 1 × 11 = 11, and 1 × 247 = 247. Mathematicians call this the identity property of multiplication, and the Common Core lists it with the other properties children use in 3rd grade. The chart above shows 1 × 1 to 1 × 12; the game checks that the rule is really understood, not just read.

Why practice something so easy?

Because children mix it up with adding. The most common mistake on this table is 1 × 6 = 7: the child adds one instead of taking one group. A minute with pictures fixes that: one basket with 6 apples is still 6 apples. The game puts 1 × n next to n × 1 and next to 1 × 0, so the difference between "one group", "the number once" and "nothing" becomes clear before the real tables start.

A warm-up for every table

Every times-table round on MathGym starts with two or three easy facts such as × 1 and × 10. A child who answers them quickly gets a good start and a first star in the first seconds.

How to use this page

For a 2nd or 3rd grader starting multiplication, play one trainer round and one memory round, then move on to the 2 times table. For an older child who still counts on fingers, use the speed test here as a confidence boost: 30 right answers in a minute is normal on this table. The worksheet mixes × 1 and × 0 problems and prints with an answer key.

A tip for parents

Ask your child to make up a story for 1 × 4: "one dog with 4 legs". Then for 4 × 1: "four dogs, each with one ball". Both stories end with 4, and that is exactly the turn-around rule they will use for every other table.