How to learn your 5 times tables

How to help your child learn their 5 times table with memorisation techniques from a primary school teacher! Then practise your 5 times tables with our practice problems.

Author
Michelle Griczika

Published
May 2024

How to learn your 5 times tables

How to help your child learn their 5 times table with memorisation techniques from a primary school teacher! Then practise your 5 times tables with our practice problems.

Author
Michelle Griczika

Published
May 2024

How to learn your 5 times tables

How to help your child learn their 5 times table with memorisation techniques from a primary school teacher! Then practise your 5 times tables with our practice problems.

Author
Michelle Griczika

Published
May 2024

Key takeaways

The 5 times table is one of the easier multiplication facts to learn, following the 10s times table
Use a 5 times table chart to help memorise your facts
Helpful tricks for learning the time table of 5 include skip counting by 5, the “0” or “5” rule, and the communicative property of multiplication

Table of contents

Helping children learn their 5 times table is a critical component of learning beginning multiplication. Times table 1-5 facts feature predictable patterns and easy skip counting. Children as young as Key Stage 1 quickly grasp how to count by 5s, a skill you can refer to when teaching this concept. For more tips on how to help your child learn the 5 times tables, keep reading!

5 times table multiplication chart

1 x 5 = 5	5 x 1 = 5
2 x 5 = 10	5 x 2 = 10
3 x 5 = 15	5 x 3 = 15
4 x 5 = 20	5 x 4 = 20
5 x 5 = 25	5 x 5 = 25
6 x 5 = 30	5 x 6 = 30
7 x 5 = 35	5 x 7 = 35
8 x 5 = 40	5 x 8 = 40
9 x 5 = 45	5 x 9 = 45
10 x 5 = 50	5 x 10 = 50

Tips for Learning Your 5 Times Tables

Looking at an entire table of multiplication facts can be overwhelming. It’s much easier to learn the times tables for one number at a time. The 5 times table is one of the easier multiplication facts to learn, following the 10s times table. Here are four tips for teaching your child their five times tables.

Teach Multiplication as "Groups Of"

An essential step before rote memorisation of multiplication facts is to show students how to get each answer and why that answer makes sense. Multiplication facts do need to be memorised for quicker mathematical processing eventually. Still, students will have a much better overall understanding of multiplication by using hands-on, concrete strategies at first.

The first step in this process is explaining multiplication as grouping. For example, 1 x 5 is the same as 1 “group of” 5. When you are ready to show this to your student(s), gather small objects such as beans, building blocks, or something fun like M&Ms or Skittles. Of course, you can eat the candy after!

Once you’ve gathered the supplies, separate 5 of the objects and ask your child to count them individually, then take those same 5 objects and group them into 1 group of 5. Next, introduce 5 more objects and count them all individually again. Split them into 2 groups of 5 and guide your student in noticing that there are still 10 objects, but they are now organized into 2 groups of 5.

Reinforce the Commutative Property

Now is an excellent opportunity to use these manipulatives to demonstrate the Commutative Property of Multiplication while teaching the time table of 5. You can rearrange the same 10 objects so they are now in 5 groups with 2 objects in each group. Explain how this represents the equation 5 x 2 = 10 since you have 5 groups of 2 and 10 total M&Ms, Skittles, etc.

Ask your child what they notice is the same about each fact: the factors are the same but in a different order, yet the product remains the same!

As pupils understand this concept better, they can progress from using manipulatives to drawing models. They can use small circles or short lines to represent the factors in the problem. For example, for 2 groups of 5, this would look like 5 small circles grouped, then another 5 grouped together.

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Show the Rule of "5" and “0”

As your child becomes familiar with their 5 times table, ask them if they notice any patterns in the products. What do they have in common? They all end in either a five or zero! You might also point out that the product endings alternate as you work your way up the five times table chart.

Practice Skip Counting

Another strategy to help your child learn the 5 times tables is to practice skip counting by fives. My pupils caught on so quickly because of the predictable pattern! You can even use skip counting on fingers to show your children how they already know that 1 group of 5 is 5, then 2 groups (2 fingers) is 10, etc. The best way to learn skip counting and the 5 times table is plenty of practice. Catchy songs are fun and effective!

Use Flashcards for Memorisation

Finally, another effective strategy for building memorisation is flashcards. These can be easily made with paper or index cards, or you can find online versions. Flashcards and similar practice, even just asking your child here and there the answers to multiplication facts, are vital because you can mix up the order of the times table of 5.

When the facts are out of order (such as 2 x 5, 4 x 5, 1 x 5, etc.), students must refer to their memory of the fact instead of skip counting by 5. That’s why it is essential to make sure your child has a good understanding of multiplication before moving on to memorising facts. Further, when students have concrete knowledge, they memorise the facts quicker and have a strategy to fall back on if they cannot remember the fact on a test or quiz.

When using flashcards, you can personalise these further by making a set with the 5 factor first- 5 x 1, 5 x 2, 5 x 3, and then a separate set of the non-5 factor first- 1 x 5, 2 x 5, 3 x 5. When you believe your child is ready, mix the sets together.

Practise times table with DoodleMaths!

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