Speed Math for Kids Achieve Their Full Potential

method work with a little ingenuity. Actually, these strategies will develop your ability to think laterally,
which is very important for mathematicians, and also for succeeding in life.
Let’s try some more, even though you probably know your lower times tables quite well:

Subtract    crossways:

4   −   1   =   3

Multiply    your    answer  by  the reference   number:

3   ×   10  =   30

Thirty  divided by  2   equals  15. Now multiply    the numbers in  the circles:

1   ×   1   =   1

Add that    to  our subtotal:

15  +   1   =   16

Test yourself

Now try the following:
a) 3 × 4 =
b) 3 × 3 =
c) 6 × 6 =
d) 3 × 6 =
e) 3 × 7 =
f) 4 × 7 =
The answers are:
a) 12
b) 9
c) 36
d) 18
e) 21
f) 28
I’m sure you had no trouble doing those.
I don’t really think this is the easiest way to learn those tables. I think it is easier to simply remember
them. Some people want to learn how to multiply low numbers just to check that the method will work.
Others like to know that if they can’t remember some of their tables, there is an easy method to
calculate the answer. Even if you know your tables for these numbers, it is still fun to play with numbers
and experiment.

Multiplication by 5

As we have seen, to multiply by 5 we can multiply by 10 and then halve the answer. Five is half of 10.
To multiply 6 by 5, we can multiply 6 by 10, which is 60, and then halve the answer to get 30.

Test yourself