2, 5 and 10 times tables: what children learn
The 2, 5 and 10 times tables are the first multiplication tables children learn. In Year 2, pupils in England are expected to recall and use the multiplication and division facts for these three tables and to recognise odd and even numbers.
These tables are chosen first because they connect to things children already know: counting in 2s, 5s and 10s, pairs of socks, fingers on a hand, and coins. The game mixes multiplication questions (6 × 5 = ?) with division questions (35 ÷ 5 = ?) because knowing a fact means being able to use it both ways.
This topic covers the Year 2 statutory requirement in the National Curriculum in England (Number – multiplication and division): pupils should be taught to “recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 2, 5 and 10 multiplication tables, including recognising odd and even numbers”. Year 2 pupils are usually aged 6–7.
For families following US standards, the closest Common Core standard is 3.OA.C.7, which is taught in Grade 3. Common Core expects multiplication fact fluency in Grade 3.
How to play
How many can you answer in 60 seconds? Type the answer and press Enter. Questions keep coming for 60 seconds. Type each answer and press Enter, or choose Skip. Answers can be typed with or without commas.
Step by step
- Multiplication is repeated addition. 4 × 5 means four groups of 5: 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 20. Drawing groups or using cubes makes this visible.
- Use arrays to show the order does not matter. An array of 2 rows of 5 dots is the same number of dots as 5 rows of 2. So 2 × 5 = 5 × 2. This is called being commutative.
- Spot the patterns. The 2 times table gives even numbers. The 5 times table always ends in 5 or 0. The 10 times table always ends in 0, and 10 × 7 is 7 tens, which is 70.
- Turn each fact round for division. If 6 × 5 = 30, then 30 ÷ 5 = 6 and 30 ÷ 6 = 5. Division is the inverse of multiplication, but unlike multiplication the order matters: 30 ÷ 5 is not the same as 5 ÷ 30.
Worked examples
Example 1: 7 × 5 = ?
Working: Count in 5s seven times: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35. Or halve 7 × 10 = 70.
Answer: 35
Example 2: 18 ÷ 2 = ?
Working: How many 2s make 18? Halving 18 gives 9.
Answer: 9
Example 3: 60 ÷ 10 = ?
Working: 60 is 6 tens, so there are 6 groups of 10.
Answer: 6
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Counting up from the start every time. Counting in steps is how children begin, but the goal is recall. Practise a few facts at a time until they are instant.
- Thinking division works in any order. Share 10 sweets between 2 people, then try to share 2 sweets between 10 people. The answers are different.
- Muddling the 5 and 10 times tables. Show that 5 × 6 is half of 10 × 6. If you know 10 × 6 = 60, half of it is 30.
Activities to try at home
- Count 2p, 5p and 10p coins: how much are six 5p coins?
- Count socks in pairs, fingers in fives and toes in tens.
- Chant the tables while skipping or clapping, then stop and ask a random fact.
Ideas for the classroom
- Use arrays of counters and ask pupils to write both multiplication facts and both division facts for each array.
- Sort numbers into the 2, 5 and 10 times tables using a Venn diagram. Which numbers are in all three? (10, 20, 30…)
- Odd and even investigation: is the total of two odd numbers odd or even?
Printable worksheet
The printable worksheet uses the same question generator as the game, so it practises exactly the same skills. It comes with a separate answer sheet on the second page. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser's print menu.
Frequently asked questions
Which times tables should a Year 2 child know?
The 2, 5 and 10 times tables, including the related division facts. The 3, 4 and 8 tables follow in Year 3, and all tables up to 12 × 12 by the end of Year 4.
Do the questions go up to 12?
Yes. The game uses facts up to 12 × 2, 12 × 5 and 12 × 10, as most schools in England teach the tables up to 12.
How do odd and even numbers fit in?
Every number in the 2 times table is even. A number is odd if it is not in the 2 times table, so it ends in 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9.
Is this the same as US 2nd grade?
Not quite. In the Common Core, multiplication fluency is expected in Grade 3 (standard 3.OA.C.7), so this Year 2 topic is a little ahead of US 2nd grade.