How to help a dyslexic child learn their times tables

My daughter is dyslexic, and times tables were one of the things that knocked her confidence most. She understood the maths. She just couldn’t make the facts stay put. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone, and it isn’t laziness.

Why times tables are hard with dyslexia

The British Dyslexia Association says around 60% of learners with dyslexia have difficulties with maths. That isn’t because they can’t understand it. Dyslexia often comes with differences in:

• working memory: holding several things in your head while you work something out
• speed of processing: how quickly information can be handled
• recalling facts quickly from long-term memory
• sequencing: keeping steps or counting patterns in order

Times tables lean on every one of these at once. So a dyslexic child can understand exactly what 7 × 8 means and still not be able to pull out “56” on demand. They often forget facts they seemed to know last week, which is frustrating for everyone.

What helps

1. Understanding before memorising. Use real objects, arrays and pictures. Six rows of four Lego bricks shows why 6 × 4 and 4 × 6 are the same, which halves the number of facts to learn.

2. Build each table on one they already know. Start with 2s, 5s and 10s. Then the 4s are double the 2s, the 8s are double the 4s, and the 6s are double the 3s. Seeing those links means fewer brand-new facts to learn.

3. Teach strategies, not just answers. If a fact won’t stick, give your child a way to work it out:

• 9s: 9 × 7 is 10 × 7 take away 7.
• 6s: 6 × 8 is 5 × 8 plus one more 8.
• 8s: double, double, double. 8 × 7 is 14, 28, 56.
• Square facts like 7 × 7 make good anchors to count on or back from.

Strategies give your child a way back when their memory lets them down. Over time, the answers start to come without the working.

4. Little and often. Short daily practice works far better than long sessions. Five calm minutes at breakfast beats half an hour of tears after school.

5. Hear it as well as see it. Saying facts aloud, hearing them read, and tapping out a rhythm can all help facts stick. Board games, skipping and counting stairs in 2s, 5s or 10s all count.

6. Keep the clock away at first. Time pressure eats into working memory, which is exactly what dyslexic children have least of. Build accuracy and confidence first, and speed follows.

7. Keep a times table square handy. Using one isn’t cheating. It lets your child keep going with the rest of the maths while the facts are still settling in.

Talk to school

Share what you see at home with your child’s teacher. Memory difficulties can make a child’s maths scores look lower than their understanding really is. Ask what access arrangements might help in tests, such as questions read aloud, extra time or rest breaks.