Ask most children what they think of times tables and you will get a groan. Ask a ShillerLearning student and you might get a song. That difference is not an accident. It is by design.
Multiplication is one of the most important foundations in all of mathematics. Get it right and everything that follows, long division, fractions, algebra, becomes dramatically easier. Get it wrong, or rush through it, and you create a gap that compounds for years.
At ShillerLearning, we have spent more than two decades thinking carefully about how children actually learn multiplication. Here is what we have found, and how we teach it.
Why Traditional Times Table Drills Often Fail
The standard approach to teaching multiplication is memorization: flashcards, timed tests, and repetition until the facts stick. For some children, this works. For many, it does not, and the consequences are serious.
Timed tests add another layer of damage. For children who process more slowly, or who have math anxiety, the pressure of a timed drill does not build fluency. It only builds fear. We have heard from hundreds of parents whose children were labeled "bad at math" simply because they could not perform under a stopwatch.
The ShillerLearning Approach: Concrete Before Abstract
Our approach follows the Montessori principle of moving from the concrete to the abstract. Before a child ever writes 6 × 4 = 24 on paper, they need to experience what that means in the physical world.
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Build it with manipulatives. Children use physical objects, beads, tiles, counters, to build arrays and groups. Six groups of four. Four groups of six. They see with their own hands that multiplication is repeated addition, and that it works the same way in both directions.
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Sing it. ShillerLearning includes original multiplication songs that embed the facts in a musical context. Music engages a completely different part of the brain than rote repetition, and facts learned through song are recalled far more reliably, especially under pressure.
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Play it. Games and activities reinforce the facts in a low-stakes, high-engagement environment. When a child is playing, their brain is in an optimal state for learning. They practice the same facts dozens of times without ever feeling like they are drilling.
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Write it last. Only after a child can build, sing, and play a multiplication fact do we ask them to write it. By then, it is not memorization. It is recognition. The abstract symbol is just a shorthand for something they already deeply understand.
What This Looks Like in Practice
A typical ShillerLearning multiplication lesson might look like this: Your child builds an array of tiles on the table, counts the groups aloud, then sings a short song that reinforces the fact. The next day, they play a card game that uses the same facts. By the end of the week, they have encountered 6 × 7 in four different contexts, and it sticks.
There are no timed tests. There is no pressure. And yet, when we test ShillerLearning students on their multiplication facts, they perform with confidence because they understand what they are doing, not just what to say.
Try This at Home
The Ball Toss Game
Here is one of our favorite ways to practice multiplication facts anywhere, no materials required. All you need is a ball (like the one shown that comes with Math Kit I) and a few minutes.
Parent and child stand a few feet apart and toss the ball back and forth. The parent calls out a multiplication problem as they throw. The child answers as they catch, then throws the ball back. Keep the rhythm easy and relaxed. The goal is flow, not speed.
Child catches and answers: “8”
Child throws back.
Now here is the part that makes this game genuinely Montessori. If the child gives a wrong answer, the parent does not say “no” or correct them. Instead, the parent simply asks a new question to which that answer is correct.
Child answers: “9” (incorrect)
Parent, without missing a beat: “3 times 3”
Child answers: “9” (correct)
The child now holds both answers in mind at the same time and, more often than not, recognizes the discrepancy on their own.
This is the heart of the Montessori approach to error correction. The parent’s job is to create the conditions in which the child discovers their own mistakes. A child who catches their own error owns that correction in a way that no external correction can match. It builds self-awareness, mathematical reasoning, and the confidence that comes from being in charge of your own learning.
The Bigger Picture: Multiplication as a Foundation
Children never learn multiplication in isolation. From the very first lesson, we connect it to what came before, addition, skip counting, place value, and to what comes next: division, fractions, and eventually algebra.
This is why our diagnostic testing matters so much. Before a child begins multiplication, we confirm they have a solid foundation in addition and subtraction. If there are gaps, we fill them first. A child who struggles with multiplication is often actually struggling with an earlier concept that was never fully mastered.
- Concrete manipulatives before abstract symbols
- Original songs for every multiplication table
- Games and activities for low-pressure practice
- Diagnostic testing to identify and fill gaps
- No timed tests, confidence over speed
- Connected to division, fractions, and algebra from day one
A Note to Parents Who Are Worried
If your child is struggling with times tables right now, please know this: it is almost never a sign that they are "bad at math." It is almost always a sign that the concept was introduced in a way that did not match how their brain learns.
Every child can learn multiplication. They just need the right approach: one that meets them where they are, builds understanding before demanding recall, and makes the process genuinely enjoyable.
That is exactly what we set out to build. And after watching thousands of families use it, the evidence is clear that it works.
See where your child is with our diagnostic placement tests, the best first step for any family.
Explore Math Kit I →
