5 of the best free online times tables games for Key Stage 2
Have five times the fun with this small selection of interactive games to help kids learn and consolidate their times tables facts
- by Teachwire
When it comes to how to teach times tables, rote learning may be important, but for kids it’s not much fun if this is the only way they’re taught these fundamental elements of mathematics.
So, as a complementary aside, why not let them loose with some of these fun, free, interactive online games that are quick and easy to play?
We’ve picked out some of the best we’ve seen online, that hopefully have enough variation for kids to enjoy while learning.
PS – you can also download our times tables worksheets bumper pack.
1. Number Fact Families
This game lets children choose the correct order of digits and symbols to make all the relationships in each number family.
So, for example, given ’11’, ‘4’, ’44’, ‘x’ and ‘÷’ children would need to find the four relationships:
11 x 4 = 44 4 x 11 = 44 44 ÷ 11 = 4 44 ÷ 4 = 11
You can choose from questions relating to the 2-5 times tables, 6-12 times tables or 2-12 times tables.
Play Number Fact Families here
2. The 7 Times Table Tile-Catching Game
Mad4Maths have produced a series of interactive games for each of the times tables from 3-8, and while the 7 times table may not be everyone’s favourite, this game might be.
When Dad has to take an emergency trip to the loo at the end of the garden it’s up to Bex to collect the tiles that come flying off the roof. Each one is numbered with an answer to a multiplication question, there’s a 10-second time penalty for catching the wrong ones, so kids need to only collect the ones with the correct solution.
Try this game here and check out Mad4Maths’ games for each of the times tables from 3-8 here
3. Meteor Multiplication
As meteors inscribed with multiplication sums defy physics (we presume) and hurtle towards your spaceship, your job is to blast them one by in correlation to the number on your ship.
They might be very slow-moving meteors, but it’s genuinely quite tense having a group of them surround you (we call that bullying where we’re from).
If only Armageddon had more maths and fewer terrible Aerosmith songs.
Have a blast with Meteor Multiplication here
4. Sleebos Stampede
Sleeboz seem to be some sort of basic organism down in the sewers that move around willy-nilly when really you need to be rounding them up and eradicating with some Dettol spray or something (apparently a click of your mouse works just as well).
However, the trick is to only pick the ones which are a multiple of the number of your choice. Go to the options and select from multiples of 2, 3, 4, 5 or 7 (because the 6 times table apparently isn’t welcome in the sewer).
Handily, each Sleeboz freezes when you hover the cursor over it so you avoid any in-game frustration of clicking the wrong answer because the little blighter changed direction suddenly.
Muck in, and give it a go here
5. Written Multiplication Game
This BBC game is great for showing kids how the basic times tables sums can be used to work out multiplication questions involving bigger numbers, by splitting.
The game splits difficult questions in a way that’s easy for kids to follow and learn, and there are three difficulty settings too.
