Many primary school teachers include times table practice as part of their homework routine. So often though, this involves repetitive revision of the same set of times tables over and over again, leaving both students and teachers alike feeling bored with times table practice. There are many activities that you can use to keep your students engaged in their times table practice though, and below you’ll find my top 8 suggestions for fun times tables homework tasks. 

Skip Counting Mazes

One way to change up repeating times table facts is to use skip counting to get students familiar with the multiples for each set of times tables. When using skip counting, students don’t need to worry about trying to recite the full times table fact, which makes it quicker to reach those higher times tables. Working with skip counting also allows you to use a wider range of fun homework activities for times table revision, like the skip counting mazes pictured below. 

Colour by Number

There’s just something about colour-by-numbers that gets kids instantly engaged. Maybe it’s the chance to colour in, or maybe it’s the code-breaking aspect of this activity, but it has always been popular with my students. Simple colour-by-number tasks like the one pictured below are useful to add to your homework routine to help review students’ multiplication skills.

Flashcards

Flashcards are a useful alternative to practice worksheets, as they still provide students with the repetition they need, but in a different format. Times table flashcards like the ones shown below can also be used for a range of games. You could ask parents to hide them around the room for their children to find and work out, or you could jumble them all up in a bag and have children order them as they say the answers. You could even make two copies of the flashcards to play games like memory or snap.

Timed Tests

Timed tests can be an effective way to encourage your students to challenge themselves when it comes to recording times table facts. Each student can work to improve on their own personal best, and therefore can work at their own pace. It doesn’t take long to include a timed test routine as part of your daily or weekly homework schedule, and it gives students consistent opportunities to practise their multiplication skills. 

Times Table Photo Shoot

Many students have access to a digital device with a camera these days. In fact, often it’s difficult to get them to put their devices away to focus on homework to begin with. So, here’s an idea that will give them an excuse to use their devices for educational purposes. Have students do a ‘times table photo shoot’ using items they find around the house. 

For example, they might have some rubber bands at home. They can use those rubber bands to represent the different times tables, either by creating arrays (more on that later on) or by sorting those objects into groups. The equation 2 x 3 = 6, could be represented by six rubber bands sorted into 2 groups of 3. This gives students a chance to creatively share their understanding of the times tables with you in a hands-on way. 

Multiplication Grids

Once students have been introduced to all times table facts and are growing in confidence, it’s important to give them opportunities to practise switching between different times tables by mixing them up. One way I like to do this is through the use of multiplication grids. Multiplication grids are a helpful visual reference for students. I’ve mentioned using addition grids in a previous post, and similarly, multiplication grids allow students to work through the times table facts at their own pace, in any order, noticing patterns along the way. If you’d like to try using multiplication grids to create your own resources, you can find my multiplication grid clip art templates here. 

Arrays

Like multiplication grids, arrays allow students to visualise their times table facts. Arrays are usually used with younger students, simply because it can become time consuming to draw arrays for larger times tables. Arrays involve creating a grid-like image of the times table fact of focus, as shown in the image below, and then counting all of the pictures to find the total. You can find a ready-made set of review pages using arrays here. 

Times Tables Bingo

Playing games is an effective way to keep students engaged in their learning. When it comes to practising times table facts, there are many games that you can use as homework tasks, to encourage parents to get involved in their children’s learning. I like Times Table Bingo, because it’s simple for students and parents to understand the rules of, and it allows children to use the strategies that they find most helpful for working out the times table facts. 

I hope that these ideas inspire you to try something new with your times table homework routine. You can use the links to buy your own copies of any resources I’ve referenced in this blog post. 

Do you want some more times table activity ideas while you’re here? Some of the suggestions in this post were taken from my list of 12 fun ideas for teaching children times table facts, which you can read here.

Have a question or a request? You can contact me at blueskydesignsbymrst@gmail.com.