Multiplication Drills
💡Break the second number into parts you already know, multiply each part, then add. Rounding to a nearby ten and correcting also works well.
Try it — multiply in your head
liveBreak the second number into parts you already know.
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Single-digit multiply
23 × 7 = 161
⏱️ Practice against the clock
A worked example
23 × 7: split into 20 × 7 (140) and 3 × 7 (21), then add for 161. Or round: 25 × 7 = 175, minus 2 × 7 = 14, gives 161.
It all comes back to one idea
Every mental multiplication shortcut is really the same move wearing a different hat: a × (b + c) = a×b + a×c. When you turn 23 × 7 into 20×7 plus 3×7, you are just chopping 23 into a piece you find easy and adding the results back up.
Splitting never changes the answer, so pick the split that lands on a round number. Anything times a multiple of ten is basically free: do the single digit and stick a zero on the end.
When a number sits just under a round one
Numbers ending in 8 or 9 are a pain to split, so do not. Round up and pay back the difference. For 19 × 6, pretend it is 20 × 6, which is 120, then hand back one 6 to get 114.
This overshoot-and-correct move is usually quicker than breaking the number apart, because the bit you subtract at the end is always a small, obvious product.
Questions people ask
Should I memorise times tables or use tricks? ▾
Both. The tables up to 12 should be instant recall; tricks take over once the numbers get larger than anything you have memorised.
What if I keep losing track of the parts? ▾
Say the partial products out loud as you go. Holding one number while you work out the other is the hard part, and speaking it frees up your memory.