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The 8 times table

Worksheet + game · PDF · free

The 8s are the 4s doubled, or the 2s doubled three times. If 5 × 4 = 20, then 5 × 8 = 40. That chain — 2, 4, 8 — is worth drawing on the board. Every product is even. Finger tricks do not help here; doubling is the workhorse. Link to packs of eight if it fits your topic, but the maths strategy is repeated doubling. Practise alongside the 4s and 2s so children see one family. Fluency means 9 × 8 = 72 without starting from zero each time.

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Worked example

For 5 × 8, use the 4s: 5 × 4 = 20. Double 20 to get 40, so 5 × 8 = 40. You can also double 5 twice: 5 → 10 → 20 → 40.

Watch for this

Stopping after one double — giving 5 × 8 as 20 because 5 × 4 = 20 — is the classic slip. Name it: 'We doubled for ×4; we need to double again for ×8.'

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