The 4 times table is the twos taken twice, so a child with steady twos is already halfway there before the first lesson. It is also the table of paws, wheels and corners, which makes it the easiest one to practice with no paper at all.
The 4 times table up to 48
| Problem | Answer |
|---|---|
| 4 × 1 | 4 |
| 4 × 2 | 8 |
| 4 × 3 | 12 |
| 4 × 4 | 16 |
| 4 × 5 | 20 |
| 4 × 6 | 24 |
| 4 × 7 | 28 |
| 4 × 8 | 32 |
| 4 × 9 | 36 |
| 4 × 10 | 40 |
| 4 × 11 | 44 |
| 4 × 12 | 48 |
Practice round: quiz yourself
Ten shuffled questions on these facts only, with score and time:
Patterns in the fours column
The last digits of the fours run 4, 8, 2, 6, 0 and then repeat, so every fifth answer is a round number: 20, 40. Answers five rows apart share their last digit, because 4 × 5 adds exactly twenty: 4 and 24, 8 and 28, 12 and 32. That gives a back door to the harder half — 4 × 8 is just 4 × 3 plus 20, so 12 + 20 = 32. Every answer is also even, and halving any answer twice brings you back to the partner: 32, 16, 8.
Tricks for the fours
Double-double. 4 × 7: double 7 (14), then double again (28). The double-double trick makes the fours a daughter of the twos — nothing here is truly new.
Always even. Like the twos, every answer ends in an even digit — odd answers expose themselves instantly.
Paw math. Four legs per dog: «five dogs at the park — how many paws?» The fours own the best real-life word problems of all.
Common mistakes with the fours
Swapping 4 × 6 and 4 × 8. 24 and 32 get mixed because both feel «medium». Rebuild them with double-double out loud: 6 → 12 → 24 and 8 → 16 → 32. One rebuild spoken aloud does more than five chants.
Stopping halfway. A tired child working out 4 × 7 may stop at 14. That answer is exactly half the real one, so whenever you see a suspiciously small even number, ask «did you double twice?» The child usually finds the missing step alone.
4 × 12 stays out of reach. 48 is often the last fact to stick. Split it: 4 × 10 = 40 and 4 × 2 = 8, together 48. After a week of splitting, the answer simply appears.
The 4 times table and division
Each fact here also works backwards: 4 × 7 = 28, so 28 ÷ 4 = 7 and 28 ÷ 7 = 4. Dividing by 4 is halving twice: 32 ÷ 4 → half is 16, half again is 8. Cutting a pizza into quarters is the same idea on a plate.
| Fact | ÷ 4 | ÷ partner |
|---|---|---|
| 4 × 1 = 4 | 4 ÷ 4 = 1 | 4 ÷ 1 = 4 |
| 4 × 2 = 8 | 8 ÷ 4 = 2 | 8 ÷ 2 = 4 |
| 4 × 3 = 12 | 12 ÷ 4 = 3 | 12 ÷ 3 = 4 |
| 4 × 4 = 16 | 16 ÷ 4 = 4 | 16 ÷ 4 = 4 |
| 4 × 5 = 20 | 20 ÷ 4 = 5 | 20 ÷ 5 = 4 |
| 4 × 6 = 24 | 24 ÷ 4 = 6 | 24 ÷ 6 = 4 |
| 4 × 7 = 28 | 28 ÷ 4 = 7 | 28 ÷ 7 = 4 |
| 4 × 8 = 32 | 32 ÷ 4 = 8 | 32 ÷ 8 = 4 |
| 4 × 9 = 36 | 36 ÷ 4 = 9 | 36 ÷ 9 = 4 |
| 4 × 10 = 40 | 40 ÷ 4 = 10 | 40 ÷ 10 = 4 |
| 4 × 11 = 44 | 44 ÷ 4 = 11 | 44 ÷ 11 = 4 |
| 4 × 12 = 48 | 48 ÷ 4 = 12 | 48 ÷ 12 = 4 |
Word problems with 4
- Eight chairs stand around the table for a birthday party. How many chair legs touch the floor? 8 × 4 = 32 legs.
- A row in the parking lot has 9 cars. How many tires? 9 × 4 = 36 tires.
- A square tile has 4 corners. How many corners do 7 loose tiles have together? 7 × 4 = 28 corners.
- Each sandwich is cut into quarters. How many pieces from 6 sandwiches for the picnic? 6 × 4 = 24 pieces. Bonus: if 8 people share them, each gets 3.
Games for practicing the fours
Animal parade. Line up toy animals with four legs. Each time one joins the parade, the child announces the new leg total. Sneak in a bird now and then: spotting the two-legged impostor forces real counting.
Corner hunt. Walk through a room and point at square or rectangular things — a book, a window, a rug. Every object adds 4 corners. After five objects, the child guesses the total before you count together.
Twice-twice relay. You say a number, the child says twice as much, you go twice again: 7 → 14 → 28. Then swap roles. Saying both steps aloud shows how closely the fours hang on the twos.
When to learn the fours
Straight after the twos, since it is built on them; the eights follow later on the same doubling idea. A five-day starter plan, about ten minutes a day:
- Day 1. Warm up with a quick round of the twos.
- Day 2. Rebuild 4 × 1 to 4 × 6 out loud from the twos.
- Day 3. Animal parade for 4 × 7 to 4 × 10.
- Day 4. 4 × 11 and 4 × 12 by splitting, then the quiz.
- Day 5. Corner hunt in a room you have not used yet. Any fact slower than three seconds goes on a card for next week.
Keep the rounds short and always out of order. Once the 4 times table runs smoothly, the times-tables system shows the full learning order and the six hardest facts.