The "Mixed Up Multiplication Times Tables to the Number 12" worksheet is all about having students use times tables to help memorize their multiplication facts but with a twist! The numbers listed horizontally on the table always go in order, but the numbers on the left side of the table may not! For example, horizontal digits might list the numbers 0-9, while the list of digits in the left column is 1, 8, 6, 2, and 0. Some answers are already filled into the squares to help students get started.

Students can fill in answers on traditional times tables easily because they can memorize the pattern without actually doing the math. Completing mixed-up times tables encourages students to think critically to find each answer. They can discover new patterns when comparing answers, and it is a more accurate way for teachers to assess student knowledge.

Multiplication tables are a great way for students to memorize their multiplication facts, but you do have to be careful. Having students complete multiplication problems in numerical order, like on a traditional times table, encourages students to memorize the pattern and not necessarily the answer to each individual problem.

You can prevent this from happening by having students complete multiplication problems that aren't in numerical order. It can also help them uncover different numerical patterns. For example, students could complete a times table with numbers from 0 to 10 across the top but with only even numbers from 2-10 on the left-hand side. This encourages them to solve each individual problem, but it also enables them to see that multiplying by an even number always results in an even number answer.