The bit between being taught and simply knowing
A focused Android app for children who know what multiplication is and now need the thing that really makes times tables stick: regular practice.
It is superior to all similar apps because it measures accuracy and how long it takes to answer. Getting the right answer is important, but how quickly you can answer is what turns it into a valuable tool. From solving equations in an exam to checking your change at the shop, the time invested will pay rich dividends in life.
How it works
Three simple stages
The app moves from looking at the answers, to recalling them, to answering independently. A child can use the whole sequence or go straight to the part they need.
Refresh your memory
The chosen times table is shown clearly from 1 × through to 12 ×. This is the quick reminder before practice begins: no game, no test and no pressure.
A reminder when a table has become a little rusty
Repeat to learn
Each line moves down the screen and the answer appears a second later. Get to the point of saying the answer just before it appears.
Power of building recall through repetition.
Put it into practice
The timed quiz puts that knowledge to the test, and then gives your progress to show off.
This is where the child finds out what is becoming automatic.
Practise what needs practice
One, a few, or all
You can select as many tables as you want. Choose one number and get to those five stars. Choose all of them and find out which are still those "problem numbers". Or focus on a few tables you know are weak and need improving. I am pretty sure you just thought of the number 7.
The quiz
Kids love a challenge
Kids absolutely love using the app and seeing what their score is at the end. The timer activates their competitive spirit. A few things to note:
- selecting more tables increases the timer length
- entering the wrong answer multiple times on the same question still counts as one wrong answer
- when the timer gets to zero it waits for you to finish the question
We want it to exciting but still a fair fight!
Results that mean something
Accuracy first. Then speed.
At the end, the app gives separate scores for accuracy and speed.
That distinction matters. A child who answers carefully but slowly is in a different place from one who answers quickly but makes lots of mistakes. Seeing both makes it much easier to understand what needs improving.
When several tables have been practised, the results can also show how the child performed on each individual table. That can make the next choice very simple: practise the one that is falling behind.
The aim is not to hand out a prize every few questions. The final result is the reward: something clear that the child can come back and try to beat next time.
For parents
Deliberately uncomplicated
Practice Times Tables is intended to be the sort of app you can give a child for a short practice session without first having to manage accounts, subscriptions, advertising or a maze of settings.
Free to use
No payment, no subscription, just click and run
Advert free
A child's practice session is not an opportunity to show them advertising
No account
The child does not need a profile or an email
Works offline
No internet access needed
No permissions
No attempts to access the network, the microphone, the camera, or anything else
Use at home or on the go
It is designed to work equally well on the mobile and tablet held in both portrait and landscape.
Source code
Practice Times Tables’ source code is available to study, modify and redistribute for permitted noncommercial purposes under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0. Redistribution remains subject to the licence conditions; commercial use requires separate permission.