Teach Multiplication From Scratch

Your child can add, but multiplication is new — and you're the teacher. This free course walks you both through it, from "what does × even mean?" to "ready to master the times tables", in nine short lessons you read together at the kitchen table.

Every lesson gives you the words to say, something to do with your hands, a quick check your child plays with, and a practice round that matches exactly what was just learned. No account needed, nothing to pay.

Start Lesson 1 Printable times table

0 of 9 lessons done

How a lesson works

Each lesson is one sitting of about 15 minutes, in three parts:

5 min — Talk it through. You read the script out loud (we give you the exact words) while your child watches and joins in.
5 min — Hands on. A tap-and-play demo your child drives, plus everyday objects when you have them.
5 min — Play. A practice round in our game, preset to exactly the facts from this lesson, so the lesson ends on a win.

One lesson per day or every other day is plenty. Repeat a lesson any time — children love re-watching the same demos, and repetition is the point. Understanding always comes before speed here: no timers, no scores, no shaming.

Best ages: 7–9 (roughly grades 2–3). Before you start, your child should be comfortable adding within 20 — say, 8 + 7 with fingers or in their head. If not, spend a week on adding first; it will make everything after easier.

The course

Stage 1 · The big idea

What multiplication actually is

1 What is multiplication?Fast adding of equal groups — explained with snacks and toys. 15 min 2 Seeing it in rows and columnsArrays turn facts into pictures your child can count. 15 min 3 Hopping down the number lineCounting by 2s, 5s and 10s — the fast road to facts. 15 min

Stage 2 · Rules that shrink the work

Patterns that make half the table free

4 The swap trick3 × 4 = 4 × 3, and suddenly you only need half the table. 15 min 5 Free wins: ×0, ×1, ×2, ×10More than a third of the table costs almost nothing. 10 min 6 The nines secret×9 from ×10, plus the famous finger trick. 15 min

Stage 3 · Power strategies

Figuring out what you haven't memorized

7 Break it apart7 × 8 from facts you already own — the most powerful idea in the course. 15 min 8 You already know most of itCross out the whole table together — only ten facts remain. 15 min

Stage 4 · For you, the parent

Turn lessons into mastery

9 Your 15-minute coaching planDaily rhythm, when to push, when to stop, and how the game fits in. 10 min

What you'll need

15 minutes and any device — the demos work on a phone.
Optional: about 20 small countable things (crackers, coins, LEGO bricks) — real objects beat screens for the first lesson.
Our free printable times table for the fridge, and printable worksheets when you want pencil practice.
Nothing else. When your child is ready for daily practice, the practice game is free too.