Year 4 maths · Key Stage 2 · Number – multiplication and division
Year 4 times tables: a guide for parents
By the end of Year 4, children in England are expected to know every multiplication fact up to 12 × 12, and the division facts that go with them. They also learn to multiply a two- or three-digit number by a one-digit number on paper, using a column layout called short multiplication. In June, Year 4 pupils take the Multiplication Tables Check, a short on-screen test of these facts.
Times tables to 12 × 12, explained
Knowing times tables “by heart” means a child can answer 7 × 8 in a couple of seconds without counting up in sevens. That speed matters because almost everything that follows in primary maths, from fractions to long division, leans on these facts. A child who has to stop and count for every fact runs out of working memory for the actual problem.
Year 4 isn’t only about recall. Children learn that multiplication can be done in any order (4 × 7 is the same as 7 × 4), which roughly halves the number of facts to learn. They use facts they know to work out ones they don’t: if 6 × 4 = 24, then 6 × 40 = 240 and 240 ÷ 6 = 40. They also learn that anything multiplied by 0 is 0, anything multiplied by 1 stays the same, and how to multiply three numbers together, such as 2 × 6 × 5.
Schools also introduce short multiplication for sums like 243 × 6. The number is written in columns, each digit is multiplied in turn starting with the ones, and any extra tens or hundreds are “exchanged” into the next column. Your child may also see 39 × 7 broken up as 30 × 7 + 9 × 7, which is the same idea done mentally.
The Multiplication Tables Check is taken in June of Year 4. It has 25 questions on a screen, with 6 seconds for each, covering the tables up to 12 × 12. There is no pass mark and children don’t revise for it in a formal way; it simply shows the school which children need more support. You can ask your child’s school how they got on.
Words your child will hear
- Product
- The answer to a multiplication. The product of 6 and 7 is 42.
- Factor
- A number that divides exactly into another. 6 and 7 are factors of 42.
- Factor pair
- Two numbers that multiply to make a given number, such as 3 and 8 for 24.
- Multiple
- A number in a times table. 42 is a multiple of 6 and of 7.
- Commutative
- The order doesn’t change the answer: 3 × 9 = 9 × 3.
- Inverse
- The opposite operation. Division undoes multiplication, so 42 ÷ 7 = 6.
- Exchange
- Swapping 10 ones for 1 ten (or 10 tens for 1 hundred) when a column gets too full. Older books call it “carrying”.
What the National Curriculum says
In Year 4, pupils should be taught to:
- Recall multiplication and division facts for multiplication tables up to 12 × 12
- Use place value, known and derived facts to multiply and divide mentally, including: multiplying by 0 and 1; dividing by 1; multiplying together 3 numbers
- Recognise and use factor pairs and commutativity in mental calculations
- Multiply two-digit and three-digit numbers by a one-digit number using formal written layout
- Solve problems involving multiplying and adding, including using the distributive law to multiply two-digit numbers by 1 digit, integer scaling problems and harder correspondence problems such as n objects are connected to m objects
Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
A worked example
Work out 243 × 6 using short multiplication.
- Write the numbers in columns, lining up the ones. Estimate first: 243 is close to 250, and 250 × 6 = 1,500, so the answer should be a bit less than that.
2 4 3 × 6 -------
- Ones: 3 × 6 = 18. Write 8 in the ones column and exchange the 10 ones for 1 ten, written small under the tens column.
- Tens: 4 × 6 = 24 tens, plus the 1 exchanged ten makes 25 tens. Write 5 in the tens column and exchange 20 tens for 2 hundreds.
- Hundreds: 2 × 6 = 12 hundreds, plus the 2 exchanged hundreds makes 14 hundreds. Write 4 in the hundreds column and 1 in the thousands column.
2 4 3 × 6 ------- 1 4 5 8 2 1 - Check against the estimate: 1,458 is a little under 1,500, so the answer is sensible.
243 × 6 = 1,458
Common mistakes and how to help
Knowing the tables as a chant but not the individual facts
Children who learned “7, 14, 21, 28…” by reciting can often only reach 7 × 8 by counting up from the start, which is slow and easy to lose track of.
What helps: Ask facts out of order and mix tables together. Once a fact is quick, ask the division that goes with it: “6 × 8 is 48, so what is 48 ÷ 8?”
Forgetting to add the exchanged digits in short multiplication
Each column is multiplied correctly but the small exchanged digits are ignored, so 243 × 6 comes out as 1,248 instead of 1,458.
What helps: Always estimate first. If the answer is far from the estimate, look for a missed exchange. Saying each step out loud (“24 tens and 1 more is 25 tens”) helps too.
Thinking multiplying always makes a number bigger
Most of the facts children practise do make numbers bigger, so 5 × 0 = 5 or 5 × 1 = 6 can feel right.
What helps: Talk about groups: 5 × 0 is “five plates with nothing on them”, so there is nothing. 5 × 1 is five plates with one biscuit each.
“To times by 10, add a zero”
The shortcut works for whole numbers, so children keep using it. It breaks down later with decimals: 2.5 × 10 is 25, not 2.50.
What helps: Describe it as every digit moving one place to the left, with a zero holding the empty ones place. It’s the same rule, but it still works in Year 5.
How to help at home
- Little and often. Five minutes a day does more than an hour on Sunday. Focus on two or three facts your child finds hard rather than going through whole tables every time.
- Use the facts they already know. Most children find 6s, 7s, 8s and 12s hardest. Show how to build them: 6 × is double 3 ×, 8 × is double 4 ×, 9 × is 10 × take away one group, and 12 × is 10 × plus 2 ×.
- Spot tables in everyday life. Eggs come in sixes, there are 7 days in a week and 12 in a dozen. “We need 4 boxes of 6 eggs. How many is that?” takes ten seconds in the supermarket.
- Ask both ways round. Follow a multiplication with its division, and with a missing-number question: “What times 7 makes 56?” This is how the facts are used in later maths.
- Keep timed practice light. Quick-fire questions are useful practice for the 6-second Multiplication Tables Check, but stop while it’s still fun. Worry slows recall down far more than a forgotten fact.
Related topics
Builds on
- Year 3: The 3, 4 and 8 times tables
Leads on to
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