Methods & Practice

Should my child say times tables out loud?

Saying the answer out loud may seem like a detail. It's not what makes children learn, but it's the easiest way to see where your child stands.

What the research says

What makes children learn times tables is practising recall: finding the answer in memory instead of re-reading it or working it out. That works whether they answer out loud or in writing. Times tables are stored as verbal memories, in the language areas of the brain, but no study shows that saying them out loud makes children learn them better than writing them.

The advantage of voice is something else: it tells you right away and clearly whether a fact is memorised. If the answer comes before your child has time to think, it’s automatic. If there’s a pause, it isn’t. When a child writes or types, you can’t see this.

What this means in practice

Answering out loud isn’t required for learning. But it’s the simplest and most accurate way to see how fast your child really remembers, and so what still needs practice.

Try this

Listen for hesitation, not just whether the answer is right. A right answer that comes slowly tells you something different from a right answer that comes fast.
If your child mouths the answer before saying it, they’re remembering: let them finish before moving on.

→ That's exactly why TabTabTab works by voice: it listens to how long your child takes to answer and works out which facts are already automatic.

TabTabTab trains recall, not understanding. Building the concept of multiplication is classroom work, and it comes first.

Sources

Dehaene & Cohen (1997) — peer-reviewed study
Dehaene et al. (1999) — peer-reviewed study
Cerda et al. (2024) — peer-reviewed study

Last reviewed: 2026-08-01