The 10 times table is the quickest win in the chart: write a zero after the number and you are done. It matters more than it looks, because the nines, the fives and the twelves are all built on top of it.
The 10 times table up to 120
| Problem | Answer |
|---|---|
| 10 × 1 | 10 |
| 10 × 2 | 20 |
| 10 × 3 | 30 |
| 10 × 4 | 40 |
| 10 × 5 | 50 |
| 10 × 6 | 60 |
| 10 × 7 | 70 |
| 10 × 8 | 80 |
| 10 × 9 | 90 |
| 10 × 10 | 100 |
| 10 × 11 | 110 |
| 10 × 12 | 120 |
Practice round: quiz yourself
Ten shuffled questions on these facts only, with score and time:
Patterns in the tens column
Every answer in the tens ends in 0, and the digits in front are simply the partner: 10 × 7 = 70, 10 × 12 = 120. The column is a copy of the counting numbers with a zero attached, which is why it feels like reading rather than calculating. It also lines up with its neighbors on the chart: every tens answer is double the fives answer and one partner more than the nines answer. Put three rows side by side — 5 × 6 = 30, 9 × 6 = 54, 10 × 6 = 60 — and the links are visible at a glance.
Tricks for the tens
Attach a zero, done. 10 × 7 = 70. The tens are learned in five minutes flat — which is exactly why they go first: an early total victory carries the whole project.
The foundation of all shortcuts. Through the tens, the nines (10 × n minus n) and fives (half of 10 × n) nearly solve themselves. Master the tens and you get three tables for the price of one.
Dime math. Ten cents per dime: «six dimes — how much money?» The tens live in every piggy bank in the country.
Common mistakes with the tens
The zero lands in the wrong place. 10 × 12 becomes 102 or 1012. Say it as «twelve tens» and count bundles of ten sticks: twelve bundles make 120.
One zero too many. 10 × 10 = 1000 is a common slip when the rule runs on autopilot. Tie it to money: ten dimes are a hundred cents, one dollar, not a thousand.
A rule with no meaning behind it. Children who only know «add a zero» stumble later with decimals and measurement. Back the rule with coins now: 7 dimes are 70 cents because each dime is ten cents.
The 10 times table and division
Each fact here also works backwards: 10 × 7 = 70, so 70 ÷ 10 = 7 and 70 ÷ 7 = 10. Dividing by 10 takes the zero away: 70 ÷ 10 = 7. For most children it is the first division fact that needs no explanation.
| Fact | ÷ 10 | ÷ partner |
|---|---|---|
| 10 × 1 = 10 | 10 ÷ 10 = 1 | 10 ÷ 1 = 10 |
| 10 × 2 = 20 | 20 ÷ 10 = 2 | 20 ÷ 2 = 10 |
| 10 × 3 = 30 | 30 ÷ 10 = 3 | 30 ÷ 3 = 10 |
| 10 × 4 = 40 | 40 ÷ 10 = 4 | 40 ÷ 4 = 10 |
| 10 × 5 = 50 | 50 ÷ 10 = 5 | 50 ÷ 5 = 10 |
| 10 × 6 = 60 | 60 ÷ 10 = 6 | 60 ÷ 6 = 10 |
| 10 × 7 = 70 | 70 ÷ 10 = 7 | 70 ÷ 7 = 10 |
| 10 × 8 = 80 | 80 ÷ 10 = 8 | 80 ÷ 8 = 10 |
| 10 × 9 = 90 | 90 ÷ 10 = 9 | 90 ÷ 9 = 10 |
| 10 × 10 = 100 | 100 ÷ 10 = 10 | 100 ÷ 10 = 10 |
| 10 × 11 = 110 | 110 ÷ 10 = 11 | 110 ÷ 11 = 10 |
| 10 × 12 = 120 | 120 ÷ 10 = 12 | 120 ÷ 12 = 10 |
Word problems with 10
- Your child finds 7 dimes in the piggy bank. How many cents is that? 7 × 10 = 70 cents.
- A pack of pencils has 10. How many pencils in 4 packs? 4 × 10 = 40 pencils.
- In bowling, 10 pins are set up for every frame. How many pins are set up over 9 frames? 9 × 10 = 90 pins.
- Everyone in a family of 6 walks barefoot on the beach. How many toes leave marks in the sand? 6 × 10 = 60 toes.
Games for practicing the tens
Coin shop. Lay out dimes, or paper coins marked 10. The child «buys» toys priced at 30, 60 or 90 cents and counts out the right number of dimes. Then flip it: you hand over a pile of dimes and the child names the total.
Stick bundles. Make bundles of ten with straws or craft sticks and rubber bands. Ask for 80 sticks and the child grabs 8 bundles. It shows exactly why the zero appears.
Toe count. Every family member takes off their socks — each person brings 10 toes. Count the people, then announce the toe total. Silly and impossible to forget.
When to learn the tens
First or second in the learning order — a five-minute victory that powers everything else. A five-day starter plan, about ten minutes a day:
- Day 1. Stick bundles: ten in a bundle, then call for 30, 70, 120 sticks.
- Day 2. Coin shop with dimes.
- Day 3. The quiz, which most kids ace on the first try.
- Day 4. Use the tens to rebuild the fives (half) and the nines (minus one partner).
- Day 5. No fifth day needed: start the next set.
Keep the rounds short and always out of order. Once the 10 times table runs smoothly, the times-tables system shows the full learning order and the six hardest facts.