If you know your 1 to 4 times tables, you can solve the 6, 7, 8 and 9 times tables using your fingers.
To explain how it works, we will use the example of 7 x 8 = ...
Number your fingers 6-10 on each hand, starting with your thumb, which is 10. Your ring finger therefore stands for 7 and your middle finger for 8. Place them opposite each other. There are now a number of fingers ‘above the line’. Multiply the number of fingers on your left hand above the line by the number on your right hand above the line: so 3 x 2 = 6.
The remaining fingers now count as ten. There are five in all, so that’s 50. You then add up these two numbers: 50 + 6 = 56. Voilà, the answer to 7 x 8 = 56.
