Times Table War

Key Skills and Concepts

Optimising GCSE

 

Times Table Wars

A Great game to play in the car or round a table to practice times tables. You can simplify it by each player just saying 1,2 or 3 numbers and then ignoring the skipping and reversing rules...

Topics Covered:
Learning Times Tables
Problem Solving

Equipment needed:
Nothing apart from 3 or more players (can be played with 2, but not as good)

Overview:
This is a really fun game to play in a group that will encourage your children to repeatedly practice and listen to times tables so they can make sure they don’t lose the game. It is based on the party game, 21’s, but uses different times tables (multiples) instead of just counting numbers.

Instructions:
Sit all players in a circle and choose an easy times table. I would start with the 1’s just so you can explain the game. Take it in turns starting with ‘1’ to say each number and when you get to 10 x 1 (10) start counting down, taking turns as before ending with zero. Which ever player said zero loses the ‘practice’ round. So it would go with one player saying each number…

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0

Now introduce the proper rules…
Play as before, but this time each player has the option to say the next one, two or three numbers on their turn. See below for what happens...

1) Say one number - goes to the next person (like the practice round)

2) Say two numbers- goes back to the person before you and the order round the circle reverses

3) Say three numbers - skips the next person and goes straight to the person afterwards

Once everyone is used to the game choose a new multiple – for example, 2. Play the game a normal, so this time the sequence would be…

2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 0

If you want, you can let the loser of each round choose the times table to use for the next round.

Key Terms to try and use:
Multiple
Sequence
Ascending order
Descending order

Questions to Ask:
“Do you know this times table yet?”
“How do you know you won’t forget it?”
“What is 4 x 7?” (ask a times table out of order to test them)
“Which times tables are you not confident with yet?”
“Have you got any tactics to make sure you don’t lose the round?”

Extension:
You could extend the game, so it goes to the 12th multiple or use different sequences of numbers. For example, the first 10 prime numbers or square numbers

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