Most teachers never take the time to think about how to teach difficult multiplication facts in a focused, intentional way. We’re often given a full multiplication chart and expected to move through it evenly. However, not all facts require the same level of attention.
In a previous post, we broke down the multiplication chart and showed how it shrinks to a much smaller group of facts that students actually struggle with. Once you see that, everything changes. You’re no longer trying to cover every fact. You’re starting to focus on the ones that matter most.
In that post, we narrowed the chart down to 28 of the most difficult multiplication facts. If you haven’t read that post yet, start here.
Breaking Down the 28 Difficult Multiplication Facts
In this post, we’re taking a closer look at those facts and grouping them in a way that helps you decide how to teach them.
You’ll notice that 21 of these facts form the core group that students need to become fluent with, while the 12s can be approached differently using reasoning and place value.
Once you know which facts actually need your attention, the next step is deciding how to teach difficult multiplication facts in a more focused way.
Difficult Multiplication Facts Students Need to Learn
Here are the 21 multiplication facts that tend to require the most attention:
3×3, 3×4, 3×6, 3×7, 3×8, 3×9, 4×4, 4×6, 4×7, 4×8, 4×9, 6×6, 6×7, 6×8, 6×9, 7×7, 7×8, 7×9, 8×8, 8×9, 9×9
Not all of these facts need to be taught the same way, which is why grouping them matters. In this post, we’ll take this list and group these facts based on how students learn them, so you can focus your time where it makes the biggest impact.
Group 1: Square Facts
These are the facts in this group: 3×3, 4×4, 6×6, 7×7, 8×8, 9×9.
Students tend to remember square facts more easily. Square facts stand out because they use the same number twice, so they look different from other facts and are easier for students to recognize quickly.
When students know these facts well, they can use them as a starting point to build and solve other multiplication facts. Instead of treating these as just another set of facts to practice, use them as anchors. Students can use 7×7 to help solve 7×8 or 6×7. The goal here is quick recall and confidence, because these facts support so many others.
Group 2: Buildable Facts
These are the facts in this group: 3×4, 3×6, 4×6.
The next set of facts is easy to build because they are closely connected to what students already know and can be solved using simple strategies.
For example, if a student knows 3x3=9, they can think of 3×4 as 9+3. If they know 3×5=15, they can use that to solve 3×6 by adding 3 more. A fact like 4×6 can be built from doubling 2×6 or by thinking of 5×6 and adding another group of 6.
These are the facts where students rely on reasoning instead of memorization. When students see that they already have the tools to work through these, they build confidence and move toward faster recall.
Group 3: Facts That Take More Thinking
These are the facts in this group: 3×7, 3×8, 3×9, 4×7, 4×8, 4×9.
As students move into these facts, the strategies are still there, but they take more effort to use. These facts are not as closely connected to anchor facts, so students may need more time and more intentional practice to think through them.
These are the facts where students often pause, but with time, they can still get to the answer. This is a good place for practice that includes comparison and connection between facts. Looking at how 4×8 relates to 4×4 or 3×8 helps students see patterns and build confidence before moving on to the most challenging facts.
Group 4: Facts Students Struggle with Most
These are the facts in this group: 6×7, 6×8, 6×9, 7×8, 7×9, 8×9.
These are the facts that tend to slow students down every time, even when they understand multiplication.
They don’t have strong patterns to rely on and are often confused with one another. Even when students understand multiplication, these are the ones that don’t always come to mind quickly.
This is where your time matters most instructionally. These facts need more exposure than the others, but not in isolation. They should show up often in mixed practice, so students see them again and again in different ways. Short, repeated practice over time is what makes the difference.
The 12s: An Extension of What Students Already Know
These are the facts in this group: 3×12, 4×12, 6×12, 7×12, 8×12, 9×12, 12×12.
Once students are comfortable with the core facts, the 12s can be introduced in a different way. This group is an extension of what students already know. These facts are often grouped in with the most difficult, but they don’t function the same way. Instead of relying on memorization, students can use what they already know to figure them out.
For example, 12×4 can be thought of as 10×4 and 2×4. The same idea works for other 12s facts. Because students can break apart 12 using place value, these problems are more about reasoning than recall.
This doesn’t mean the 12s should be skipped, but they don’t need the same level of memorization focus as facts like 7×8 or 8×9. Once students have a strong foundation, the 12s become a natural extension of their understanding.
Teaching Difficult Multiplication Facts More Effectively
When you look at multiplication this way, the work becomes much clearer. You’re not trying to get through every fact in the same way. You’re focusing on the ones that actually need your attention and using strategies where they make the most sense. That shift alone can change how students experience fact fluency.
This is what it looks like to focus on what actually matters. If you already know which facts tend to slow your students down, the next step is giving them consistent opportunities to practice those specific facts. Not more worksheets or repeated practice that doesn’t target what students actually need. Just focused time on the combinations that need it most.
That’s exactly what targeted multiplication practice is meant to do. Instead of revisiting every fact, students spend time working with the ones that don’t stick yet, building familiarity and confidence with each exposure.
Ready to Focus on the Facts That Matter Most?
If you already know which facts your students struggle with, the next step is giving them consistent, focused practice with those exact facts. That’s exactly what these targeted multiplication fact brochures are made for. Instead of working through every fact, students spend time on the ones that need it most, building confidence and recall with each practice.
FAQ:
The multiplication facts that students tend to struggle with most usually involve 6s, 7s, 8s, and 9s. These facts don’t follow simple patterns and are often confused with one another, which is why they require more time and repeated practice.
Not all multiplication facts need the same level of memorization. Some facts can be built using known strategies, patterns, or reasoning. The goal is for students to develop fluency, which includes both recall and the ability to figure out unknown facts efficiently.
Instead of teaching all facts the same way, it helps to group difficult multiplication facts based on how students learn them. Start with anchor facts like square numbers, then build from known facts, and spend the most time on the facts that consistently cause confusion.
Students tend to struggle with facts that don’t have clear patterns or connections to what they already know. Without strategies to rely on, these facts require more repetition and exposure before they become automatic.
Students don’t always need to fully memorize the 12s. Many 12s facts can be solved using reasoning, such as breaking apart 12 into 10 and 2. Once students understand place value and multiplication strategies, they can often solve these without relying on memorization alone.
