Stuck for a way to revise times tables besides reciting them in unison? This bingo activity motivates pupils of different ages and abilities.
Give each pupil an A5 sheet of paper or a whiteboard. Find out how many times tables they have learned and decide from there.
Ask pupils to draw a square grid, divide it into nine parts and write the answers from two different times tables, any between two and 10, into each square. You can help by giving them some examples orally.
Call out a number sentence such as “six times six”. Pupils with 36 in their grid cross out the answer. The first person to cross out all the numbers says: “Bingo”. Then play it again. Make sure the winners are rewarded. It’s an idea to prepare some nice stickers or other small rewards beforehand.
Useful workbooks for learning times tables are Carol Vorderman’s Maths Made Easy series: Ages 5-7 Times Tables and Ages 7-11 Times Tables.
Weiqing Zhu is a supply teacher in Glasgow.
