Multiplication Using Fingers
4 Minutes
Multiplication table trick using fingers for kids explains how to multiply numbers from 6 to 10 step by step. An English maths lesson.
- How to calculate 6 times 8 by joining fingers and adding values
- Solving 7 times 9 by counting fingers above and multiplying below
- Finding 8 times 7 and noting the trick works for numbers 6 to 10
What this lesson teaches
Multiplication using fingers is a calculation trick that allows someone to multiply numbers from 6 to 10 using their hands. By joining specific fingers and counting the fingers above and below them, the correct product can be found without memorizing the higher multiplication tables.
Steps for the finger trick
- Label or imagine numbers from 6 to 10 on the fingers of each hand, and touch together the two fingers representing the numbers to multiply.
- Count the fingers positioned above the two touching fingers on both hands and multiply those two numbers together.
- Count the two touching fingers together with all the fingers located below them, and multiply that count by 10.
- Add the result from the top fingers to the result from the bottom fingers to get the final answer.
Example of 6 times 8
To calculate 6 times 8, touch the finger for 6 on one hand to the finger for 8 on the other hand. There are 4 fingers above on the left and 2 fingers above on the right, which gives 4 times 2, equaling 8. Counting the touching fingers and all fingers below them gives 4 fingers, which is multiplied by 10 to equal 40. Adding 40 and 8 gives the final answer of 48.
Example of 7 times 9
To find 7 times 9, bring the finger representing 7 and the finger representing 9 together. Counting above the touching fingers shows 3 fingers on one side and 1 finger on the other, so 3 multiplied by 1 equals 3. Counting the touching fingers along with the fingers below them gives 6 fingers, which multiplied by 10 makes 60. Adding 60 and 3 produces 63.
Rules and limits of the method
This finger method works for multiplying any pair of numbers from 6 to 10. It is useful for finding answers in the 6, 7, 8, and 9 times tables. This specific trick will not work for any numbers below 6 or for any numbers above 10.