3rd grade · 12 facts · multiplication

7 times table

The 7 times table has a reputation as the hardest, and there is something in it: no neat ending pattern, no doubling shortcut, and the answers do not sound alike. The good news is that by the time your child gets here, most of it is known already. 7 × 1, 7 × 2, 7 × 3, 7 × 4, 7 × 5, 7 × 9, 7 × 10 and 7 × 11 are all in tables they have learned, just turned around.

That leaves only a few facts that are really new: 7 × 6, 7 × 7, 7 × 8 and 7 × 12. Telling your child this at the start changes how the table feels. Four new facts is a week or two of practice, not a mountain.

All 12 facts of the 7 times table

  • 7 × 1 = 7
  • 7 × 2 = 14
  • 7 × 3 = 21
  • 7 × 4 = 28
  • 7 × 5 = 35
  • 7 × 6 = 42
  • 7 × 7 = 49
  • 7 × 8 = 56
  • 7 × 9 = 63
  • 7 × 10 = 70
  • 7 × 11 = 77
  • 7 × 12 = 84

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 7 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

A useful anchor is 7 × 7 = 49, one less than 50. From there, 7 × 8 is one more 7, which is 56, and 7 × 6 is one fewer, which is 42.

There is an old memory aid for 7 × 8: the digits 5, 6, 7, 8 in a row, as in 56 = 7 × 8. Plenty of children like it, and it is worth sharing as long as they can also work the fact out.

Splitting 7 into 5 and 2 works for every 7s fact. 7 × 8 is five 8s and two 8s: 5 × 8 = 40 and 2 × 8 = 16, and 40 + 16 = 56. It takes a moment longer, but it never needs a guess, which matters for a child who freezes on a fact they cannot remember.

Counting by 7 is harder than counting by 2, 5 or 10, because the answers cross the tens at different places: 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70, 77, 84. Seeing the list written out, as below, helps.

How to practise at home

  • Learn one new fact at a time. Spend a few days on 7 × 7 = 49 before adding 7 × 8, and use the drill to keep the older facts warm.
  • Say the split out loud: “7 × 6 is five 6s and two 6s, 30 and 12, 42.” After a while the answer arrives before the split does.
  • Use the calendar: a week has 7 days. “How many days in 3 weeks? In 8 weeks?” is the 7s table with a calendar to check against.
  • If one fact keeps coming out wrong, write it on a sticky note somewhere your child will see it every day, then drill it again a few days later.

Slips to watch for

  • Mixing up 7 × 8 and 6 × 9, answering 54 for 7 × 8 or 56 for 6 × 9. The two sit close together and are worth practising as a pair.
  • Answering 47 or 48 for 7 × 7. Anchor it as “one less than 50”.
  • Counting up from 7 and slipping. If your child counts, let them, but ask which fact they could start from instead: 7 × 5 = 35 is a good jumping-off point.

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