Learning multiplication can become frustrating when a child is asked to memorize tables before understanding how they work. Times Tables - Multiplication takes a more active route: it turns multiplication and division practice into a children’s educational game rather than a worksheet session. I found it most useful as a short, repeatable practice tool, especially when a child already knows the basics but needs more confidence and speed.
The game is developed by BrainSoft Apps and is available for free, with optional in-app purchases ranging from $0.99 to $19.99 per item. It is rated for Everyone, so it is aimed at a broad family audience rather than a narrow school age group. Its focus is clear from the start: help children work with times tables while also giving division a place in the learning routine.
What makes it worth considering is not that it replaces a teacher, workbook, or patient explanation from a parent. It does not. Its value is in making the repetitive part of practice easier to begin and less dull to repeat. For short daily sessions, this is a practical math game rather than a complete math course.
How the current version feels in everyday use
A simple way to turn spare minutes into practice
I would use this game in the moments when a full lesson is unrealistic: before school, during a quiet break, or after homework when a child needs a change of pace. A child can open it with a specific goal in mind, such as revisiting a difficult table or warming up before written exercises. That makes it easier to avoid the common problem of opening an educational app without knowing what to practice.
The strongest routine is a short one. Rather than leaving a child to play until attention disappears, I would set a small target: complete a few rounds, notice which facts caused hesitation, and then stop. This approach matters because multiplication fluency depends on repeated retrieval. The game can provide the repetition, but an adult still needs to help connect mistakes to the underlying idea.
For example, if a child repeatedly struggles with a fact involving six, I would not simply insist on faster answers. I would pause afterward and ask the child to build the fact from a known one, such as adding one more group. The app is then used for practice, while the explanation happens away from the screen. That combination is more effective than treating every wrong answer as a memory problem.
Multiplication and division belong together
I like that the learning focus includes both multiplication and division. Children often learn these operations separately, even though they are closely connected. A child who understands that a multiplication fact can be reversed into a division fact has a useful mental shortcut, and practice across both operations can encourage that connection.
Still, the presence of both subjects does not automatically mean every child will understand the relationship. I would watch for whether the child is answering by recognition, guessing, or genuine recall. If the game is used only as a speed challenge, a child may learn to tap quickly without being able to explain why an answer is correct. That is the main reason I see it as a supplement to teaching, not a substitute for it.
Where it fits among familiar alternatives
Compared with paper flashcards, the game is easier to repeat without an adult having to prepare questions. It also gives practice a more playful feel, which can help a reluctant learner start. Compared with a general math-learning platform, its narrower focus may be an advantage for a child who needs concentrated work on multiplication and division instead of a broad tour through arithmetic.
The trade-off is depth. A workbook can show written methods, arrays, word problems, and space for explanations. A teacher can immediately change the question when a child is confused. A general learning platform may offer a more complete progression across several mathematical skills. I would choose Times Tables - Multiplication when fluency is the immediate need, not when I want one app to cover every part of elementary mathematics.
What the version information tells existing users
The current version is 2.4.8, and the game has been available since March 30, 2021. That gives it a longer presence than a newly launched experiment, while the current version number shows that it has gone through ongoing iteration. I would interpret that as a reason to expect a maintained product, but not as proof that every learning approach has been redesigned.
For a family already using an older release, the sensible approach is to update and then check the parts that matter in practice: whether the child’s familiar progress remains available, whether the interface still feels comfortable, and whether any optional purchase prompts affect the routine. I would not update immediately before an important school practice session without checking the app first, simply because children often depend on familiar navigation.
New users should also remember that a version number does not tell them whether the game matches a particular school curriculum. It is better to compare the child’s current classroom goals with the app’s multiplication and division focus. If the child is working on written multiplication, fractions, or word problems, this game may support the basic facts without covering the full assignment.
Why so many families notice it
The game has passed one million installs and holds an average rating of 4.5 from around thirteen thousand ratings. Those figures suggest that it has reached a substantial audience and that many users find the basic experience useful. I treat that as helpful context, not a guarantee: a child’s age, patience, and current math level will still determine whether the practice feels encouraging or repetitive.
The number of written reviews is much smaller than the number of ratings, so I would pay more attention to the actual fit for the child than to the rating alone. Educational games can be well received by families looking for quick drills while still being unsuitable for a learner who needs visual explanations or more open-ended problems.
Practical ways to get better results
My first tip is to use the game diagnostically. Do not look only at whether a round was completed. Notice which facts cause a pause, a guess, or repeated errors. Write down a small group of troublesome facts and practice them offline with objects, drawings, or spoken examples. The next session can then test whether the explanation helped.
My second tip is to alternate multiplication and division instead of treating division as an entirely separate subject. After a child answers a multiplication fact, ask for its related division fact in conversation. This adds meaning without requiring a longer screen session and helps prevent the game from becoming a collection of isolated answers.
My third tip is to avoid turning the app into a reward or punishment system. If every session is tied to pressure, a child may focus on finishing rather than learning. I would keep practice predictable and brief, celebrate clearer thinking rather than only speed, and stop when attention has clearly dropped. A calm routine is more valuable than a long session.
A fourth useful approach is to pair the game with a real-life example. If a child is practicing groups of four, use plates, pencils, or building blocks to make equal groups and then ask how many items there are altogether. After that, reverse the situation: if there are a certain number of items and each group has four, how many groups can be made? The app supplies retrieval practice; the household example supplies meaning.
Who should use it and who should look elsewhere
I would recommend it to parents who want a focused way to reinforce times tables, to children who enjoy game-like repetition, and to learners who need more confidence before tackling classroom exercises. It is also a reasonable choice for a child who can already count in groups but needs regular practice recalling facts without reaching for a chart.
I would be more cautious if the child is still struggling to understand what multiplication represents. In that case, repeated questions may feel like failure unless an adult first introduces equal groups, repeated addition, or visual models. I would also look for another tool if the main need is geometry, fractions, measurement, algebraic thinking, or detailed written feedback.
Children who dislike timed or repetitive activities may not respond well, even if the subject matter is appropriate. For them, physical manipulatives, a story-based lesson, or a cooperative activity with an adult may be a better first step. The free entry point makes it easy to try, but the possibility of optional purchases means I would let an adult handle any buying decisions rather than leaving the device unattended.
Remaining gaps that parents should plan around
The biggest limitation is scope. Multiplication and division fluency are important, but they are only part of mathematical understanding. A child can perform well on table questions and still struggle with choosing an operation in a word problem, explaining a strategy, estimating an answer, or checking whether a result makes sense.
Another gap is the difference between recognition and transfer. A child may become comfortable inside the game’s question format but hesitate when the same fact appears in a written exercise or a real situation. To reduce that gap, I would regularly move from screen practice to paper, mental questions, and small household examples.
There is also a motivational limit to any drill-based game. Repetition works best when the learner can see progress and understand the purpose. If the child begins tapping randomly, rushing, or asking to stop every time, more game time is unlikely to solve the problem. At that point, I would change the teaching method rather than simply increasing the number of rounds.
Parents should keep expectations realistic about purchases as well. The game itself is free, but optional items have individual prices between $0.99 and $19.99. I would explore the free experience first and decide whether any paid content genuinely improves the child’s routine. A purchase should solve a clear need, not be made because a child is frustrated during a session.
What to watch as the product develops
For existing users, I would watch whether future updates continue to make practice clearer without making it more distracting. The most valuable improvements would be those that help families understand patterns in mistakes, support a gradual move from multiplication to related division facts, and keep the experience manageable for children who need slower practice.
I would also watch how well the game serves different learning speeds. A strong educational tool should not make a child who needs extra time feel unsuccessful, while still giving a confident learner enough reason to continue. Since the current release is 2.4.8, future changes may affect the balance between simplicity, repetition, and variety, so families who rely on it should occasionally check that it still matches their child’s needs.
My advice is to judge updates by educational usefulness rather than novelty. A new visual effect may be pleasant, but a clearer correction, better progression, or more meaningful connection between multiplication and division would matter much more. Those are the changes that could genuinely improve learning rather than merely refreshing the appearance.
My final view after using it
Times Tables - Multiplication is a focused, accessible game for practicing multiplication and division facts. I appreciate its narrow purpose because it makes the decision simple: if a child needs repeated times-table practice and responds well to a game format, it is worth trying. Its free price and Everyone rating also make it easy for families to test without committing to a larger learning platform.
I would not present it as a complete math education, and I would not use it as the only response to deep confusion. The best results come when a parent or teacher uses the game to identify weak facts, explains the idea in ordinary language, and then returns to practice. Used that way, it can turn an otherwise tedious part of learning into a manageable daily habit.
My recommendation is to treat it as a practice companion, not a replacement for teaching. For a child who needs fluency, confidence, and a reason to revisit the tables regularly, it offers a useful balance of focus and accessibility. For a learner who needs visual reasoning, written methods, or broader mathematical challenges, a workbook, teacher-led lesson, or more comprehensive learning app will be the better choice alongside it.
