Multiplication Tables are the most critical factors of maths and children need to know them to progress. Children start to learn them as soon as they begin school.
How your children progress through school can be directly effected by how well they learn their times tables and the level of confidence they gain from this..

Your children's confidence can be boosted massively by learning the multiplication tables properly and accurately.

The majority of children do not learn their multiplication times tables properly and as a consequence, many lose confidence in maths. Low confidence in maths can spread to other subjects. Children can simply end up believing they are no good at maths, and they shut out the opportunities to the good education that is available, and all because not enough effort and thought has gone into teaching times tables in an easy to remember way.

There are clear reasons why some children learn multiplication times tables properly so they can easily remember them and most do not.

Traditionally the school system teaches multiplication times tables in rote fashion, a method which childr do not find enjoyable. Children, on the other had, think and behave in a different way. They have a vivid and colourful imagination, cannot sit still for long, and are unable to concentrate for any length of time required for rote learning to work.

If a simple, easy to use method is used, that also mirrors the way a child works, this may be the way forward.

Rote learning is a very linear method for teaching multiplication times tables. The problem with it is that the answers are also retrieved by your child from their memory in a linear fashion. Getting the right answer is time consuming and needs effort.

If getting to the answer becomes, or seems to be, too much effort, your child will stop trying and just give up. At this point, learning times tables becomes more and more difficult and your child will lose confidence in their ability to know them.

Because school teachers have a curriculum to follow, and there is an accepted way of teaching multiplication times tables, school lessons remain unchanged.

Young children cannot concentrate for long periods of time, and school lessons are not designed around this. This can result in problems keeping focussed for class.

Understandably, parents find it difficult to understand why their children cannot remember their times tables This often results in negative comments which can be discouraging for children, leaving them feeling that they are ?bad? at maths and reducing their confidence.

The way to build confidence in maths is to create a feeling of confidence and ability right from the start. The perfect place to start is when learning times tables, as these are learnt very early in a child's educationMaths is very black and white ? either you are right or wrong ? there no in between for school children, and this makes it ideal for confidence building ? the more right answers you get, the more confidence will build.

Imagine if your children could recall the times tables instantly - without having to think about the answer- especially if they have used a different method to learn them both quickly and accurately - this will instantly translate into feeling of confidence and they will believe that they are good at maths. When your children are confident they will be happy and enjoy learning far more.

This confidence spreads to the other subjects as they start to develop good learning habits and attitudes. The importance of this cannot be under estimated.