9 Times Table Made Easy | Free Tricks & Games Kids Will Enjoy

Learning the 9 times table can feel tricky at first, but it doesn’t have to be. Mastering these multiplication facts helps kids build confidence with mental math, quick calculations, and problem solving. When your child can recall the 9 times table effortlessly, they’ll be ready for word problems, practice sheets, and even multiplication games. The best part is that with a few fun tricks, a story and some guidance from you, these facts can be learned quickly and remembered forever.

Spotting Patterns in the 9 Times Table

The 9 multiplication facts have some neat number patterns that make them feel like a puzzle waiting to be solved. Once your child masters these individual facts, they’ll feel confident tackling other multiplication tables. The patterns can also encourage kids to explore fun ways to practice with clever tricks, hands-on activities, and even reading a free fair story we wrote to bring the 9 patterns to life.

Sure, practice sheets and charts are helpful, but mixing in games, playful challenges, and interactive learning makes multiplication exciting and memorable. Kids get the thrill of success as they see patterns, solve problems and build confidence one 9 at a time.

Ready to Try Some Fun Tricks? Let’s dive in to find the patterns and trick can that make learning them a breeze.

Multiplying by 1 – Start Simple

Anything multiplied by 1 is just itself! This is the simplest trick in the 9 times table and a great starting point.

Example: 9 x 1 = 9

Teaching Tip: Let your child use real objects like crayons, apples, or small toys. Count them together to show that 9, 1 time is just 9. This builds confidence and a clear understanding before moving on to harder multiplication facts.

Word problem: If Annie picks 9 apples off an apple tree, how many apples does she have? A: 9 x 1 = 9

Skip Counting – Step by Step

Now that we’ve warmed up with 1s, let’s hop into skip counting! Counting by 9s is a fun way to see multiplication as repeated addition. Kids who can skip count by 9 are already halfway to knowing the 9 times table.

Example: 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, 54, 63, 72, 81, 90

Teaching Tip: Encourage your child to say each number aloud as they count. You can put mark numbers on the floor with tape or use small objects. Have your child jump over the small objects or have a little toy like a frog leaping over the numbers where each hop lands on the next multiple of 9. Then ask, “If we make 5 hops of 9, where do we land?” This makes multiplication feel like a playful, active game while reinforcing repeated addition.

Word problem: Fred the Frog is a great jumper. He can jump 9 feet at a time. If he does that 5 times, how many feet did he jump? A: 9×5 = 45

The Finger Trick – A Handy Helper

Here’s a fun fact: kids can use their hands and fingers to remember the 9 times table. I learned this trick when I was in third grade and I even taught it to my girls when they were learning their math facts because it worked so well for me.

Example: 9 x 3 = Start at your left thumb and count over to the third finger. Bend that finger down. Now look at your hands: the fingers to the left of the bent finger show the tens place, and the fingers to the right show the ones. 2 and 7. That means 9 x 3 = 27.

Teaching Tip: Have your child show you the trick for each worksheet problem. Have them get up out of their chairs to get moving. Then ask them “Can you make your hand look like the answer?” This reinforces quick calculations, mental math, and makes memorizing the multiplication table fun.

Word problem: Rocky loves to collect rocks. If he has 7 bags filled with 9 rocks each, how many rocks does he have? Use your fingers to find the total.

Digit Sum Trick – Check Your Work

Here’s a fun pattern: every answer in the 9 times table has digits that add up to 9. This simple trick also introduces kids to patterns in numbers, which makes mental math feel like solving a little puzzle. It’s also a handy way for kids to check their own work.

Example: 9 x 4 = 36 → 3 + 6 = 9

Teaching Tip: After completing a 9 times table multiplication worksheet, ask your child to check their answers by adding the digits. You can even turn it into a game: “Find all the answers where the digits add to 9!” This is an way for kids to spot mistakes and discover this pattern for themselves. Best of all, you won’t have to grade those practice sheets yourself!

Word problem: Maya builds 5 robots. She puts 4 shiny stickers on each robot. How many stickers does she use? Use the digit sum trick to check your answer.

Tens Up, Ones Down Trick – Spot the Pattern

Here’s another helpful way to solve problems in the 9 times table. Look at the number you’re multiplying by nine. First, take one less than that number. That gives you the tens digit number. Next, subtract that same number from ten. That gives you the ones digit. Put those two together and you have your answer.

Example: 9 x 4

• One less than 4 is 3 (that’s your tens digit).
• 10 – 4 = 6 (that’s your ones digit).
• Put them together = 36

Teaching Tip: This trick helps kids break the problem into two smaller, easy steps. It’s a great way to also practice place value, because they see how the tens and ones work together.

And here’s the really fun part – when you write out all the answers to the 9 times table, you’ll notice a neat pattern. The tens digits go up by one each time while the ones digits go down by one each time. It makes the whole set look like a ladder and slide pattern, which is a fun visual to show your kids.

Word problem: A silly sock monster has 9 drawers. He keeps 7 striped socks in each drawer. How many striped socks does he have altogether? A: 7 – 1 = 6, 10 – 7 = 3, put them together = 63

Easy 10 Trick

Multiplying by 10 is one of the simplest tricks in math, and it works perfectly with the 9 times table. All you have to do is take the number you’re multiplying and add a zero to the end. That’s it!

Example: 9 x 10. Just write down 9 and add a zero after it = 90.

Teaching tip: Kids often love the 10s facts because they feel like a quick win. This isn’t just a shortcut for the 9s. Any number multiplied by 10 follows this same rule. Once your child learns this trick, they’ve mastered a whole set of multiplication facts, which is a huge confidence booster!

Word problem: Nora buys 10 packs of 9 crayons. How many crayons does she have? 10 x 9 = 90.

Print & Go Some Fun with the 9 Facts

We’ve created these fun, ready-to-use resources at Homeschool Giveaways to help your kids master the 9 times table with stories, activities, and creativity:

Springboard Learning Ideas

Multiplication doesn’t have to be limited to a times table chart. Here are some fun ways to keep the learning going at home:

• The Times Tables the Fun Way Teacher’s Kit helps kids master all the multiplication facts from0-9and the related simple division facts through fun stories and characters that make the answers unforgettable. With a student workbook, teacher’s manual, clue cards, and activity sheets, this program turns tricky math facts into memorable adventures-building a strong foundation for long division, ratios, and beyond.

• Make math fun with BAMbingo! This 2-in-1 game combines multiplication and division flash cards with exciting bingo gameplay. Perfect for kids 8 and up, it adapts to different skill levels, sparks friendly competition, and turns learning into an engaging adventure-ideal for home or classroom fun with 2-24 players.

• Boost multiplication skills with these fun practice sheets! Multiplication Facts Worksheets: Grades 3-5 offers 60 engaging worksheets to help kids master multiplication facts 0-12. With mazes, I Spy challenges, color-by-code activities, and more, these practice sheets make learning math facts fun while building fluency, confidence, and classroom-ready skills. Answer keys are included for easy checking.

• Schoolhouse Rock: “Naughty Number Nine”– This catchy, classic tune makes the 9 times table unforgettable. Sing along and watch those 9s stick!

• In the Kitchen: Turn math into a tasty adventure! Measure ingredients in groups of 9. For example, add 6 chocolate chips on 9 cookies before baking them or top 2 pancakes with 9 blueberries each for breakfast. Kids will love counting as they cook and bake.

• Science Fun: Bring math outside! Count or sort items in groups of 9 during nature walks or simple experiments. It’s a sneaky way to mix math with observation and exploration.

Final Thoughts

With these tricks and tools, learning the 9 times table can be exciting, interactive, and memorable. When you guide your child through patterns, mental math, and hands-on activities, you help them gain confidence and a love for math. Combining reading, games, and creative activities makes learning feel like an adventure rather than a chore.

Encourage your child to explore, practice, and have fun with numbers. Before long, they won’t just know the 9 times table-they’ll enjoy using it every day!