7 Multiplication Tricks That Actually Work

Why Tricks Help

Multiplication facts need to be automatic, but pure memorization is hard. Tricks give kids a backup strategy and often make facts more memorable.

Important: Tricks work best when kids already understand what multiplication means. Use these alongside conceptual teaching, not instead of it.

Trick #1: The 9s Finger Trick

This is the classic — and it really works.

How it works:

Hold up all 10 fingers
For 9 × 3, put down your 3rd finger
Count fingers to the left of the down finger: 2
Count fingers to the right: 7
Answer: 27

Works for: 9 × 1 through 9 × 10

Try it: 9 × 7 = put down 7th finger = 6 fingers left, 3 right = 63 ✓

Trick #2: The 9s Digit Sum

The digits of any 9s answer add up to 9.

9 × 2 = 18 → 1 + 8 = 9 ✓
9 × 6 = 54 → 5 + 4 = 9 ✓
9 × 8 = 72 → 7 + 2 = 9 ✓

Bonus pattern: The tens digit is always one less than what you're multiplying by.

9 × 7: tens digit is 6, ones digit makes it add to 9 → 63

Trick #3: The 5s Pattern

All 5s facts end in 0 or 5.

Even number × 5 ends in 0
Odd number × 5 ends in 5

Shortcut: Take half and multiply by 10.

5 × 8: Half of 8 is 4, times 10 = 40
5 × 6: Half of 6 is 3, times 10 = 30

Trick #4: The 4s Double-Double

To multiply by 4, double the number, then double again.

4 × 7: Double 7 = 14, double 14 = 28 ✓
4 × 8: Double 8 = 16, double 16 = 32 ✓

This uses skills kids already have (doubling) to find harder facts.

Trick #5: The 8s Double-Double-Double

Same idea, but three doubles.

8 × 6: Double 6 = 12, double 12 = 24, double 24 = 48 ✓
8 × 7: Double 7 = 14, double 14 = 28, double 28 = 56 ✓

Takes practice, but builds number sense too.

Trick #6: The "Rhyme" Facts

Some facts stick better with rhymes or stories:

6 × 6 = 36: "Six times six is thirty-six, just like a bundle of sticks"
6 × 8 = 48: "Six and eight went on a date, came home as forty-eight"
7 × 7 = 49: "Seven times seven is forty-nine, that's a fact that's really fine"
8 × 8 = 64: "Eight times eight fell on the floor, picked up sixty-four"
7 × 8 = 56: "Five, six, seven, eight — 56 is 7 × 8"

Silly? Yes. Effective? Also yes.

Trick #7: Square Numbers Pattern

Square numbers (a number times itself) have a pattern worth knowing:

1×1=1, 2×2=4, 3×3=9, 4×4=16, 5×5=25, 6×6=36, 7×7=49, 8×8=64, 9×9=81, 10×10=100

Once kids know squares, they can use them to find nearby facts:

7 × 8: That's 7 × 7 + 7 = 49 + 7 = 56
6 × 7: That's 7 × 7 - 7 = 49 - 7 = 42

Which Facts Need the Most Help?

Research shows these are the hardest for most kids:

6 × 7, 6 × 8
7 × 8
8 × 9, 7 × 9

Focus extra attention here. Use tricks, extra practice, and multiple strategies.

Practice Resources

Build multiplication fluency: