Question 1

What is the best trick for the 6 times table?

Accepted Answer

The most powerful approach is to derive the 6s directly from the 3s: since 6 = 2 × 3, every fact in the 6 times table is simply the corresponding 3× fact doubled. So 6 × 7 = double (3 × 7) = double 21 = 42. This means a child who knows their 3 times table can produce every 6× answer without separate memorisation, just by doubling. The 5+1 method is also very reliable: to find 6 × 8, think of it as (5 × 8) + (1 × 8) = 40 + 8 = 48. Having two complementary methods means children always have a route to the answer even when one approach feels slow.

Question 2

Are all answers in the 6 times table even?

Accepted Answer

Yes — every answer in the 6 times table is even without exception, because 6 is an even number and any whole number multiplied by an even number produces an even result. Beyond just being even, there's a particularly satisfying pattern for even multipliers: when you multiply 6 by any even number, the units digit of the answer matches the multiplier. So 6 × 2 = 12 (ends in 2), 6 × 4 = 24 (ends in 4), 6 × 6 = 36 (ends in 6), 6 × 8 = 48 (ends in 8). This pattern covers half the table and gives children an instant verification tool for those facts.

Question 3

How does the 3 times table help with 6s?

Accepted Answer

The relationship is mathematical and direct: 6 = 3 × 2, so multiplying by 6 is exactly the same as multiplying by 3 and then by 2. Every single fact in the 6 times table is therefore the corresponding 3× fact doubled: 3 × 8 = 24, so 6 × 8 = 48. This connection means a child who is secure on their 3 times table already has all the information needed to derive every 6× answer — they just need to apply doubling as an extra step. Making this link explicit also helps children see the multiplication tables as a connected system, which is more mathematically satisfying and more durable in memory than treating each table in isolation.

Question 4

Why is the 6 times table considered tricky?

Accepted Answer

The 6 times table sits in a cluster — alongside 7, 8, and 9 — that most children and adults agree are the hardest. Unlike the 2s, 5s, and 10s, there's no single obvious shortcut that covers every fact without calculation. The answers are large enough that skip counting becomes slow and unreliable, and the facts overlap with other hard tables, making confusion between 6×7=42 and 7×6=42 and neighbouring facts like 6×8=48 and 8×7=56 common. The solution is to use multiple derivation strategies — double-the-3s, 5+1 — rather than relying on rote recall, and to practise the specific hard facts (6×7, 6×8, 6×9) more intensively than the others.

Question 5

What pattern do even multiples of 6 follow?

Accepted Answer

When you multiply 6 by any even number, the units digit of the answer always matches the multiplier. So 6 × 2 ends in 2 (=12), 6 × 4 ends in 4 (=24), 6 × 6 ends in 6 (=36), 6 × 8 ends in 8 (=48), 6 × 10 ends in 0 (=60), 6 × 12 ends in 2 (=72). This pattern covers every even multiplier in the standard 1–12 table and provides an instant verification check for six of the twelve facts. Children who notice this pattern typically find the even-multiplier 6× facts significantly easier to recall than the odd-multiplier facts, where the same visual shortcut doesn't apply.

The 6 Times Table

💡 Double the 3 Times Table

⭐ The 5 + 1 Strategy

⚡ Even Number Pattern

🌍 Real-World Examples

Frequently Asked Questions