--- title: "My Child Only Wants to Play Video Games. Can That Actually Help With Times Tables? | XTables Champions" description: "Your child loves Roblox and Fortnite but hates maths drills. Here's how multiplayer games can genuinely build times-tables fluency, from Miles at XTables Champions." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "name": "XTables Champions", "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "url": "https://xtableschampions.com" }, { "name": "XTables Champions", "logo": "https://qtrypzzcjebvfcihiynt.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/base44-prod/public/68cac2c61c34894625d63273/cae3abbca_logo.png", "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "url": "https://xtableschampions.com" }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://math-magicians-academy-25d63273.base44.app/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "can video games help kids learn times tables", "item": "https://math-magicians-academy-25d63273.base44.app/can-video-games-help-kids-learn-times-tables" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can playing video games actually help my child learn times tables?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes, it can, but with one important caveat: not all games are equal. Games that are genuinely multiplayer, that give children a sense of progress and social connection, and that are built around real maths content can help children practise their times tables in a way that feels rewarding rather than stressful. The key is that the maths practice has to be embedded in the game, not bolted on as a chore before the fun starts." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Why does my child refuse to do times tables drills but will happily play games for hours?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "This is completely normal and makes total sense from a brain perspective. Multiplayer games are designed to provide immediate feedback, social connection, and a sense of meaningful stakes. Traditional drills offer none of those things. Your child is not being difficult; their brain is simply choosing the more engaging experience. The answer is usually to find a maths tool that uses the same design principles as the games they already love." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "My child cries when they see a countdown timer on a maths app. Is that common?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Very common, unfortunately. This comes up constantly in conversations with parents and teachers. When a child is already a little anxious about maths, a visible countdown timer can trigger a stress response that floods working memory, which is precisely the mental resource they need to recall a number fact. If timers are causing your child distress, it is completely reasonable to look for tools that do not use them, or to turn the timer off if the app allows it." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "My child plays Roblox and Fortnite. Does that mean they would respond well to a multiplayer maths game?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Almost certainly, yes. Children who already enjoy multiplayer games are well-primed for multiplayer maths tools because the social and competitive structure is already something they find motivating. The challenge is finding a maths platform that genuinely replicates the quality and engagement of the games they are used to, rather than a low-effort \"educational game\" that they can see through immediately." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How long should maths practice sessions be at home?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Short, honestly. Ten to fifteen minutes of genuine engagement is far more valuable than half an hour of misery. The goal at home is to build a positive habit and a positive association with maths practice. Ending a session while your child is still enjoying it, rather than grinding on until they are frustrated, is one of the most effective things you can do for their long-term attitude towards maths." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "I feel guilty letting my child do maths on a screen. Should I?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "No. The maths skill being practised is the same whether it is on a worksheet or inside a game. What the game format does is make the child willing to practise in the first place, and willingness is everything when it comes to building fluency. The parents who tend to see the best results are the ones who found the format their child actually engages with, not necessarily the strictest one." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "My child says they are bad at maths and nothing will help. How do I change that belief?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "This is a long game, but the most reliable way to shift it is through small, regular wins in a low-pressure environment. When a child starts to notice that they answered questions correctly, that their score improved, or that they beat their own record, the belief starts to shift from the inside. External praise helps, but it is not as powerful as the child experiencing genuine progress themselves. That is why the design of the tool matters: it needs to make those small wins visible and feel meaningful." } } ] } ] --- [ XTables Champions Part of the ESSTA Kids family ](/Welcome) [About Us](/About)[Rewards ](/OurRewards) Tips & Tricks [Games](/Games)Login [ XTables Champions Part of the ESSTA Kids family ](/Welcome) [Learn](/levels-and-progression) [Games](/GamesOverview) [All Games](/GamesOverview)[Connect Four](/connect-four)[Guess Who?](/guess-who)[Times Tables Bingo](/times-tables-bingo)[Snap!](/snap)[Play with Friends](/games/play-with-friends)[Play against Champion](/games/play-against-champion) [Every Learner](/times-tables-for-every-learner) [Adaptive Learning](/adaptive-times-tables-learning) [Schools](/ForSchools) [Lunchtime Clubs](/LunchtimeClubs)[SENCO Support](/SchoolSencoInfo)[Homework Setting](/SchoolHomeworkSetting)[Whole-Class Games](/SchoolWholeClassGames)[Level Matching](/SchoolLevelMatching) [Wellbeing](/wellbeing-and-safeguarding) [Pricing](/pricing) Log In / Sign Up [Back to all articles](/Blog) # My Child Only Wants to Play Video Games. Can That Actually Help With Times Tables? 10 June 2026 Here is the short answer: yes, genuinely, it can. And I say that not to make you feel better about screen time, but because the research direction and what we are hearing from parents every single week points clearly that way. If your child is obsessed with Roblox, Minecraft, or anything multiplayer, that instinct they have, to play with others, to compete, to level up, can be one of the most powerful levers you have for building real maths fluency at home. Let me explain what I mean, and why I think so many of us are approaching this the wrong way. ## The Homework Battle Most Parents Recognise When I looked at what parents are searching for and talking about this week, one thing came up again and again. Not just "how do I help with times tables", but the specific exhaustion of the nightly homework battle. The thread that stuck with me was a parent on Reddit describing how their child happily sits for two hours on a multiplayer game but will not look at a times-tables drill for two minutes before the tears start. That gap is not laziness. It is not defiance. It is a completely rational response from a child's brain. Multiplayer games are designed by very clever people to keep children engaged. They offer immediate feedback, social connection, a sense of progress, and a feeling of genuine stakes. Flash-card drills and rote chanting offer none of those things. So the child's brain does what brains do: it chooses the more rewarding experience. **The problem is not that your child loves games. The problem is that most maths practice tools have not caught up with what games actually do well.** ## Why Timers Make Things Worse (Not Better) One of the things I keep seeing come up across every channel, from parents sharing on Reddit to teachers talking on X, is the damage that countdown timers do to children who are already a little anxious about maths. Teachers are describing children who know their times tables perfectly well in a calm moment, but the moment a ticking clock appears on screen, they freeze completely. One teacher put it plainly: "As soon as the timer starts, half my class forgets facts they definitely know." That is not an exaggeration. That is a well-understood stress response. Anxiety floods working memory, and working memory is precisely what you need to retrieve a number fact quickly. So if your child dreads times-tables apps and you suspect the timer is part of the problem, you are almost certainly right. Removing that pressure is not "going easy" on them. It is giving their brain the conditions it actually needs to learn. ## What Multiplayer Changes Here is what genuinely interests me about the shift I am seeing in how educators talk about this. There is a real move away from isolated, single-player drill apps towards what some teachers are calling "academic e-sports": collaborative, multiplayer environments where children are practising real maths skills but inside a game structure that feels socially meaningful. When your child plays against or alongside someone else, a few things happen that do not happen with solo drills. They pay attention differently. They care about the outcome more. And, crucially, they stop associating the maths with the feeling of being tested and start associating it with the feeling of playing. From the parents we have spoken to so far at XTables Champions, the shift in attitude that comes when a child goes from "I have to do my times tables" to "I want to beat my score" or "I want to catch up with my friend" is genuinely striking. One mum told us her son, who had cried through every times-tables homework session for months, asked if he could have "five more minutes" on his practice for the first time ever. That is the thing we are trying to build towards. ## So What Should You Actually Do at Home? If your child is resistant to times-tables practice, here is what I would suggest trying, in plain terms. 1. Drop the drill format entirely for a while. Flashcards, worksheets, and chanting have their place, but if they are causing distress, persisting with them is not going to help. Give the child's nervous system a rest from that association. 1. Look for multiplayer maths tools rather than solo ones. The social element is not a nice-to-have. For many children, especially those who struggle with motivation or anxiety, it is the thing that makes practice feel worth doing. 1. Remove the timer wherever you can. If an app has a setting to turn off the countdown, turn it off. Speed will come with fluency. Fluency will not come from panic. 1. Let your child have some control. Choosing their avatar, picking which table to practise, deciding when to play, these small choices matter enormously for a child who already feels like maths is something being done to them. 1. Keep sessions short. Ten minutes of genuine engagement is worth far more than thirty minutes of misery. Finish while they are still enjoying it. As our founder Gal Darrash puts it, "We built this for the children who already believe they are bad at maths. Our whole job is to prove them wrong, gently." ## The Screen Time Guilt I want to say something about this directly, because I know it sits in the background for a lot of parents. Letting your child do maths practice on a screen, especially one that looks and feels like a game, can bring up a lot of guilt. You might feel like you are giving in, or that it does not count as "real" learning. It does count. The skill being practised is identical whether it happens on a worksheet or inside a game. What the game does is make the child willing to practise at all. And a child who practises willingly will always outpace a child who is dragged through it in tears. The parents we speak to who feel most confident about their child's maths progress are usually not the ones who found the strictest approach. They are the ones who found the approach their specific child would actually engage with. ## A Gentle Next Step At XTables Champions, we built our platform around exactly this idea: that children with maths anxiety, or children who are neurodivergent, or children who simply find drills unbearable, deserve a tool that meets them where they are. We use games that children genuinely want to play, with a multiplayer design that builds real engagement, and we have removed the pressure features (timers, public failure, red-screen penalties) that trigger anxiety in the first place. If any of this resonates with what you are seeing at home, I would love for you to take a look at what we are building. Head over to [XTables Champions](https://www.xtableschampions.com) and see whether it might be the right fit for your child. No hard sell, just a look. ## Frequently Asked Questions Can playing video games actually help my child learn times tables? Why does my child refuse to do times tables drills but will happily play games for hours? My child cries when they see a countdown timer on a maths app. Is that common? My child plays Roblox and Fortnite. Does that mean they would respond well to a multiplayer maths game? How long should maths practice sessions be at home? I feel guilty letting my child do maths on a screen. Should I? My child says they are bad at maths and nothing will help. How do I change that belief? ## Ready to help your child? Join thousands of families using XTables Champions to make multiplication click. Get Started Free XTables Champions Game-based times tables for children aged 6 to 11. No timers, no tears. For parents, schools and tutors. Part of ESSTA Kids. #### Platform - [Schools](/ForSchools) - [Levels & Progression](/levels-and-progression) - [Our Programme](/Programme) - [Rewards](/OurRewards) - [Pricing](/pricing) - [About Us](/About) - [Learning Philosophy](/LearningPhilosophy) - [Contact](/Contact) #### Community - [Insights](/Insights) - [For Parents Blog](/Blog) - [Tips & Tricks](/TipsTricks) - [Success Stories](/SuccessStories) - [Events & Competitions](/Events) - [Live Results](/Results) - [Lunchtime Clubs](/LunchtimeClubs) #### ESSTA Kids Expert learning programmes for children who need extra support. [Visit esstakids.com →](https://esstakids.com) © 2026 XTables Champions, An ESSTA Kids Programme. All rights reserved. [Privacy Policy](/PrivacyPolicy)• [Terms & Conditions](/TermsConditions)• [Sitemap](/sitemap.xml) XTables Champions Game-based times tables for children aged 6 to 11. No timers, no tears. For parents, schools and tutors. Part of ESSTA Kids. #### Platform - [Schools](/ForSchools) - [Levels & Progression](/levels-and-progression) - [Our Programme](/Programme) - [Rewards](/OurRewards) - [Pricing](/pricing) - [About Us](/About) - [Learning Philosophy](/LearningPhilosophy) - [Contact](/Contact) #### Community - [Insights](/Insights) - [For Parents Blog](/Blog) - [Tips & Tricks](/TipsTricks) - [Success Stories](/SuccessStories) - [Events & Competitions](/Events) - [Live Results](/Results) - [Lunchtime Clubs](/LunchtimeClubs) #### ESSTA Kids Expert learning programmes for children who need extra support. [Visit esstakids.com →](https://esstakids.com) © 2026 XTables Champions, An ESSTA Kids Programme. All rights reserved. [Privacy Policy](/PrivacyPolicy)• [Terms & Conditions](/TermsConditions)• [Sitemap](/sitemap.xml)