Times Tables and Division
In Year 3, children focus on the 3, 4 and 8 times tables and the division facts that pair with each one. The aim is fast, confident recall, so these facts are ready to use inside bigger problems instead of being worked out from scratch every time. Knowing that 3 times 4 is 12 means 12 shared into 3s or 4s comes almost for free.
Practise Times Tables and Division
Have a guess, even if you're not sure. Get one wrong and we'll show you why, so every miss is a chance to learn.
Timed practice
The same practice, just with a gentle clock. Pick a length and see how many you can answer.
Good to know
The 3, 4 and 8 times tables in full
Handy to keep on screen while you practise.
For grown-ups
Multiplication and division are two sides of the same idea, and Year 3 is where that link becomes second nature: every known fact unlocks its matching division. Alongside recall, children start to use these facts in real situations, sharing and grouping a quantity, multiplying a two-digit number by a one-digit number, and scaling something to be three or four times as many. Spotting when to multiply and when to divide is its own skill, and it is the reasoning that underpins fractions, ratio and the longer methods of later years.
What is in this topic
- The 3, 4 and 8 times tables
- Division facts for the 3, 4 and 8 times tables
- Multiplying a two-digit number by a one-digit number
- Sharing and grouping word problems
- Scaling problems, such as three times as many
How to help at home
Recall comes from regular use, not from one long sitting. Five focused minutes a day, kept light and low-pressure, does far more than an hour at the weekend.
- Count in steps out loud: 3, 6, 9, 12 and 4, 8, 12, 16 and 8, 16, 24, 32, until the sequence runs without thinking.
- Build the harder tables from easier ones. The 4s are the 2s doubled, and the 8s are the 4s doubled again, so for 8 × 6 you can work out 4 × 6 = 24 and double it to 48.
- Learn every fact both ways round. Once 3 × 4 = 12 is solid, 12 ÷ 4 and 12 ÷ 3 come almost for free.
- Lean on facts they already own. Anything times 1, 2, 5 or 10 is a safe anchor to count up or down from.
Where children get stuck
The 8 times table is the one most children find hardest. It arrives last and the numbers climb quickly, so recall lags behind. The double, double, double trick turns a fact they cannot remember into one they can work out in seconds: for 8 × 7, double 7 to 14, again to 28, again to 56.
The other common wobble is spotting when to divide rather than multiply in a word problem. Sharing a bag of sweets between friends is dividing; working out how many sweets three friends have between them is multiplying. A quick “are we splitting up, or building up?” usually settles it.