The 2 times table
Also written as the multiplication table of 2. Here it is in full to 2 x 20, with the patterns worth pointing out, the fact children trip on, and free practice that does not need a sign-up.
2 x 1 to 2 x 12
| 2 × 1 | 2 |
|---|---|
| 2 × 2 | 4 |
| 2 × 3 | 6 |
| 2 × 4 | 8 |
| 2 × 5 | 10 |
| 2 × 6 | 12 |
| 2 × 7 | 14 |
| 2 × 8 | 16 |
| 2 × 9 | 18 |
| 2 × 10 | 20 |
| 2 × 11 | 22 |
| 2 × 12 | 24 |
2 x 13 to 2 x 20
| 2 × 13 | 26 |
|---|---|
| 2 × 14 | 28 |
| 2 × 15 | 30 |
| 2 × 16 | 32 |
| 2 × 17 | 34 |
| 2 × 18 | 36 |
| 2 × 19 | 38 |
| 2 × 20 | 40 |
Schools usually require up to twelve. The rest is here for children who want it, and it is where mental arithmetic starts to pay off.
Worth pointing out
Patterns in the 2 times table
- Every answer is even, and the last digits repeat forever in the cycle 2, 4, 6, 8, 0.
- This is doubling, which most children can already do before they meet it as a table.
The easiest way to learn it
Double the number. If your child can share a plate of biscuits fairly between two people, they can already do this table, and framing it that way usually removes the fear.
The fact children get wrong
Nothing much, but the jump from 2 x 9 to 2 x 10 sometimes confuses children who have learned the answers as a chant rather than as doubles.
On the abacus
Doubling is the first real formula a soroban student meets, because adding a number to itself is the simplest possible bead sequence.
Charts build familiarity. Recall comes from retrieval, a few minutes a day. Print the times tables sprint, or try the free virtual abacus where multiplication becomes bead positions rather than something to memorise.
Common questions
What is the 2 times table?
The 2 times table is 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, continuing to 2 x 20 which is 40. It is the same thing as the multiplication table of 2: each answer is 2 added to the one before it.
What is the easiest way to learn the 2 times table?
Double the number. If your child can share a plate of biscuits fairly between two people, they can already do this table, and framing it that way usually removes the fear.
Which fact in the 2 times table do children get wrong most often?
Nothing much, but the jump from 2 x 9 to 2 x 10 sometimes confuses children who have learned the answers as a chant rather than as doubles.
What is 2 x 12?
2 x 12 is 24. Twelve is the highest multiplier most primary schools require, though children who go further will need up to 2 x 20, which is 40.
Every times table
If the tables are a struggle
The problem is usually not the table
A child who is still counting to work out 2 x 3 has no attention left for 2 x 8. Fluency underneath is what makes the tables stick, and it is what abacus training builds.
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