Are times tables worksheets helpful?

People surf the internet and locate times tables worksheets to help support their children. They now have some work to do and we feel better that they are working and learning. It does ask the question though if this is an efficient way of a child learning their times tables. Although it always feels better that you have done something proactive to help your child learn their times tables. So now you may be thinking 'Good, so I am doing the right thing and I am helping my child improve their maths education regarding times tables'. What if you learn you child is unhappy learning their times tables this way, they may find it a laborious task with little fun. What? Can this be true? Well, times tables worksheets are a very slow way of learning and involve a lot of monotonous writing out. Children might eventually learn their times tables but they will not learn them instantly. It will be a long thought process to get to the correct answer. A child needs a strategy to know the answer instantly. Can you imagine if you asked your child's name and it took as long to receive the answer as your child could write their name. You wouldn't expect your child to write their name on a piece of paper each time you asked them your name. Therefore children could be in a position to recite their times tables without pouring over worksheets for long hours. Speaking out loud is obviously a quicker process than writing. If your child was able to think quickly this in turn would prove more fun for them. 'Speak to Learn' is a strong motto and one that I believe in. To learn his or her times tables your child needs to be able to speak not write. The problem with times tables worksheets is not so much the sheets themselves but the way that they are used. Children prefer to speak instead of writing. A child in possession of a worksheet will feel they have to work hard. Speaking is easy so have you thought of using times tables worksheets as a method of getting your children to learn times tables by speaking instead of writing. You can do this by using the worksheets for learning and testing, getting your children to say the tables and answers.