6 times table

How to learn the 6 times table

The 6 times table is 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, 60, 66, 72. It comes after the "easy" tables, and children often worry about it, but most of it is already known: 6 × 2, 6 × 5 and 6 × 10 come from the 2, 5 and 10 times tables, and 6 × 3 and 6 × 4 from the 3 and 4 times tables. Look at the chart above: only 6 × 6, 6 × 7, 6 × 8 and 6 × 9 (plus 6 × 11 and 6 × 12) are really new.

Multiplication by 6: two easy routes

Route one: five groups and one more. 6 × 8 = 5 × 8 + 8 = 40 + 8 = 48. Route two: double the 3 times table, because 6 is 2 × 3. 3 × 9 = 27, so 6 × 9 = 54. Let your child pick the route that feels easier; both give the same answer, and having a way back to a forgotten fact is what removes the fear of this table.

The even-number pattern

6 × 2 = 12, 6 × 4 = 24, 6 × 6 = 36, 6 × 8 = 48: when 6 is multiplied by an even number, the answer ends in that same number. It is a quick check, and children like spotting it.

6 times table games

The trainer asks the 6 times table out of order, with a keypad, and keeps the facts your child missed in a "work on these" list. The gates runner adds a choice ("take the bigger result: 6 × 7 or 6 × 6?"), which makes children compare facts, not just recall them. When the round is easy, try the test: 18 out of 20 gives a printable diploma. The 6 times table worksheet prints with an answer key.

A tip for parents

The hard facts of this table are 6 × 7 = 42, 6 × 8 = 48 and 6 × 9 = 54. Write just those three on a sticky note, and ask one of them at breakfast each day for a week.