If you look in books and very often on the net you will find scores of maths tricks that say they help children learn tables.

Rather than being a help to your children they are often a barrier to the effort to learn tables in such a way that they can be recalled without thinking about the answer.

As an example of what I mean here is one times tables trick that may be fun but is also a hindrance.

The subject of the trick is the nine times tables and its tools are the fingers which children look at to reply to a times tables question.

Ask your children to put their hands in front of them with the backs of the hands facing them.

To answer the question what is two times nine this is what you do. To let you know in advance the answer to this is eighteen, but I'll bet you knew that. Here goes;

From your left little finger count in two, one is the little finger. Fold this second finger down.

How many fingers are standing up?

To the left of the finger you put down there is one and to the right there is eight.

What number is a one and an eight together, yes, eighteen (18), the answer to the question. Let's do another one.

This time four times nine. Of course the answer is thirty six. So to the trick;

From your left little finger count in four, one is the little finger. Fold this fourth finger down.

What have you got to the left of the finger you put down? Yes, there are three.

To the right of the finger you put down there are how many standing? The answer is six.

So, three fingers and six fingers. Three and six which is what number? Yes, thirty six,

What is the answer to three times nine? Thirty six.Easy?

You can do the same thing for other nine times tables, however, there is a hitch with it, rather two hitches.

1. Your children can only use it for the nine times table.

2. Each time you have to use fingers to work out a new answer so it is not an Instant Recall method to learn tables.

An acquaintance's boy liked this method and did not want to learn tables using any other technique, techniques that would have resulted in an Instant Recall ability.

Obviously it is not good when children get into a habit that prevents them from doing something in a better way.

How can you persuade your child to learn tables another way? You can show them this fun game?

One day my granddaughter said to me, lets play catch and call out the times tables.

This was great because it meant putting catching together with times tables and at the same time a great point could be made about the Nine Times Tables Trick.

In order to play the catching game for the nine times tables you need to know the answers instantly.

Why? Well you can't play the game and use your fingers to work out the answers.The point would be made that your children need a better way to learn tables; that is if they want to have fun and play.

The big point is that all children need to learn tables, all times tables, so that they know the answers instantly.