Fast facts and fact families
To answer facts quickly we use strategies we trust. Doubles: the double of 7 is 7 × 2 = 14. Halves are the opposite: half of 14 is 14 ÷ 2 = 7, and also 1/2 of 14 is 7. Skip counting helps with fives: 5, 10, 15, 20 shows that 4 × 5 = 20. A fact family gives four facts from one: 7 × 8 = 56 means 8 × 7 = 56, 56 ÷ 7 = 8 and 56 ÷ 8 = 7. Know one, and you know them all. To get faster, practise a few facts every day and try to beat your own score, not someone else’s. Accuracy comes first: speed grows when the facts are really known.
| Strategy | Example |
|---|---|
| Double | 7 × 2 = 14 |
| Skip counting | 5, 10, 15, 20, so 4 × 5 = 20 |
| Fact family | 7 × 8 = 56, so 56 ÷ 8 = 7 |
| Half | half of 16 is 16 ÷ 2 = 8 |
| Number | Double (× 2) | Half (÷ 2) |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 16 | 4 |
| 14 | 28 | 7 |
| 20 | 40 | 10 |
Beat the clock. Write 20 multiplication and division facts on cards. Ask someone to time you for 2 minutes and count how many you answer correctly. Write your score. Practise the facts you missed and try again the next day. Can you beat your own score? Do not worry about anyone else’s score.