Times-table recall is an important part of primary Maths. By the end of Year 4, children in England are expected to know multiplication tables up to 12 × 12. GOV.UK
That doesn't mean practice has to consist of repeatedly reciting them.
Beat your own score
Give your child one minute to answer a small set of multiplication questions.
Record the score and try again another day.
The challenge is to beat their own previous result, rather than competing with someone else.
Hunt for patterns
Times tables contain lots of patterns.
Ask questions such as:
What do you notice about the answers in the 5 times table?
or:
If you know 6 × 4, how could that help you work out 12 × 4?
This develops understanding alongside recall.
Use cards
Write multiplication questions on one set of cards and answers on another.
Turn them face down and play a matching game.
Reverse the question
Don't always ask:
What is 7 × 8?
Try:
56 is 7 times what?
This develops the relationship between multiplication and division.
Use spare moments
Five minutes while dinner is cooking can be more effective than an occasional 40-minute worksheet.
Short, frequent retrieval helps facts become increasingly automatic.
Keep the difficult ones visible
Most children have particular facts they forget.
Rather than repeatedly practising every multiplication fact, identify the tricky ones and focus attention there.
The aim is fluency, not simply memorising a sequence.