3rd grade · 12 facts · multiplication

6 times table

The 6 times table is where the tables start to feel hard for many children, because the facts from 6 × 6 upward have no instant trick. The way in is to use what your child already knows: every 6s fact is the 5s fact plus one more group. 6 × 7 is 5 × 7 = 35, plus 7, which makes 42.

There is a second route through doubling, since 6 is double 3. To find 6 × 8, take 3 × 8 = 24 and double it to get 48. Children often settle on one of the two routes; either is fine, as long as the answer eventually comes without the steps.

All 12 facts of the 6 times table

  • 6 × 1 = 6
  • 6 × 2 = 12
  • 6 × 3 = 18
  • 6 × 4 = 24
  • 6 × 5 = 30
  • 6 × 6 = 36
  • 6 × 7 = 42
  • 6 × 8 = 48
  • 6 × 9 = 54
  • 6 × 10 = 60
  • 6 × 11 = 66
  • 6 × 12 = 72

Printable practice sheet (PDF) — 24 problems: the 12 facts in order, then the same facts mixed up. The answer key is on page 2. Free to print, no sign-up.

Timed drill: the 6 times table

12 facts in a random order. A right answer within 3 seconds counts as by heart. Free, no sign-up, and nothing is saved: it all happens on this screen.

Type with the keypad or your keyboard, then press Check or Enter.

What to notice

Multiply 6 by an even number and the answer ends in that same digit: 6 × 2 = 12, 6 × 4 = 24, 6 × 6 = 36, 6 × 8 = 48. Children enjoy spotting this echo, and it pins down four facts at once.

Every answer in the 6s is even, and every one is also in the 3s, because 6 is two 3s. So an odd answer is always wrong, and the digits add to 3, 6 or 9: for 42 it is 4 + 2 = 6, for 54 it is 5 + 4 = 9.

By the time your child reaches the 6s, turnarounds have already given them a lot. 6 × 1, 6 × 2, 6 × 3, 6 × 4, 6 × 5, 6 × 9 and 6 × 10 are in tables they have met. The new facts are mostly 6 × 6, 6 × 7, 6 × 8 and 6 × 12, which is a much shorter list.

How to practise at home

  • Practise “five and one more” on paper: draw five rows of 7 dots, then one more row in a different colour. Seeing the extra row makes the strategy obvious.
  • Make 6 × 6 = 36 a landmark. From there, 6 × 7 is one more 6, which is 42, and 6 × 5 is one fewer, which is 30.
  • An egg carton is two rows of 6. Two cartons is 2 × 6 eggs, three cartons is 3 × 6. Counting egg cups is a nice way to see the 6s.
  • Use the drill on this page and note which facts are slow. If 6 × 7 and 6 × 8 are, say them a few extra times each day for a week, then drill again.

Slips to watch for

  • Mixing up 6 × 7 and 6 × 8, answering 48 for 6 × 7 or 42 for 6 × 8. The echo helps: 6 × 8 has to end in 8.
  • Adding one instead of one more group: going from 5 × 7 = 35 to 36 instead of 42. Ask what “one more group of 7” looks like.
  • Losing the thread in 6 × 12. Split it as 6 × 10 = 60 and 6 × 2 = 12, then 60 + 12 = 72.

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