Times tables that stick
Multiplication facts that stick
TimesOwl puts each multiplication fact on its own review schedule. A session is about five minutes.
- We do not run ads or trackers
- About 5 minutes a day
- Ages 7–11, tables to 12 × 12
Try a couple of facts
Fact 1 of 3
- facts, each on its own review schedule
- 121
- facts, each on its own review schedule
- is the default session; 1, 2, or 10 minutes if you want
- 5 min
- is the default session; 1, 2, or 10 minutes if you want
- device. Stay on it and you skip the account.
- 1
- device. Stay on it and you skip the account.
The problem
They knew 7 × 8 on Tuesday. On Thursday it’s gone.
A Monday worksheet is stale by Friday. The fact faded in between.
- Worksheets drill every fact the same number of times, including the ones your child already knows and the ones that keep slipping.
- Math games pick questions at random, so 3 × 2 shows up as often as 7 × 8.
- Spaced repetition brings each fact back right before it fades, then waits longer the next time your child gets it right.
The difference
Times tables still get worksheets.
Language apps have scheduled reviews for years. TimesOwl waits longer after a correct 7 × 8, and brings it back sooner after a miss.
What actually helps
Reviews each fact on its own schedule
Catches facts that are about to slip
Skips facts your child already knows
Kids type the answer
Done in about five minutes
Nobody has to manage a deck
| What actually helps | Worksheets | Flash cards | Math games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews each fact on its own schedule | No | No | No | Yes |
| Catches facts that are about to slip | No | Sometimes | No | Yes |
| Skips facts your child already knows | No | Sometimes | No | Yes |
| Kids type the answer | Yes | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| Done in about five minutes | No | Sometimes | Sometimes | Yes |
| Nobody has to manage a deck | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Flash cards are fine for a first look at 6 × 7. TimesOwl is the daily practice that keeps the fact around.
How it works
TimesOwl covers through 12 × 12, and your child types what is due.
Setup is a name and a first session. After that, a session is about five minutes, and TimesOwl chooses which facts appear.
- Step 1
Covers through 12 × 12
TimesOwl practices all 121 facts from 2 × 2 through 12 × 12. It opens with 8 facts and adds more only when the review pile is small.
- 2 × 2 through 12 × 12
- 121 facts
- Step 2
Practice for five minutes
One fact at a time. Your child types the answer. TimesOwl checks it and records how long it took. A correct answer earns 4 stars.
6 × 9=54 +8 - Step 3
TimesOwl sets the next review
Each fact has its own next-review date. A new one comes back in seconds until it sticks this sitting. A miss starts that over. If 3 × 2 is already solid, it stays out of tonight’s session.
- 7 × 8
- 20 seconds
- 40 seconds
- 1 minute
- 3 minutes
- 1 day
- 3 days
How families use it
Pick one device and keep using it.
That is the usual path. Open TimesOwl and practice. You do not need an email or a password.
Your child has a device
They open the site on their phone or tablet and practice. Same device next time, same progress. You do not need a setup speech.
You have the device
Kitchen tablet, your phone, the living-room laptop: pick one and stay on it. That is how most families do it.
Later, if you need a second device, you can add an email and a password. Most families never do.
For kids
One fact on screen. Stars when they get it.
- You pick a 1, 2, 5, or 10 minute session. Each question waits as long as they need.
- A correct answer earns stars. A fast one can add a speed bonus.
- Sessions stay short because the deck only holds facts that are due.
For parents
Progress is a dated due list.
- A Progress page shows what is due and which facts are still shaky.
- It runs in the browser. Pick one device and keep using it.
- We do not ask kids for an email. We do not run ads or third-party trackers. Read the plain-language version.
The research
Three papers the schedule is built from.
Spaced reviews and retrieval practice show up again and again in learning research. These three are the ones TimesOwl actually uses.
- 01
Memory fades on a curve. Ebbinghaus measured it.
Ebbinghaus mapped how quickly new material is forgotten, and how each well-timed review slows the decline. A fact practiced once on Tuesday can be gone by Thursday.
Ebbinghaus, Über das Gedächtnis (1885) - 02
Spaced practice held up on later tests in a review of 254 studies.
A meta-analysis of more than 14,000 participants found the same minutes of practice last longer when they are spread across days.
Cepeda et al., Psychological Bulletin (2006) - 03
Recalling an answer is what sticks.
In a review of ten study strategies, practice testing and distributed practice were the only two rated high utility. Kids type the answer here, and each fact is scheduled.
Dunlosky et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest (2013)
Questions
Before you start
Got another question? Try a session. Two minutes of setup usually answers it.
What is spaced repetition?
Memory fades on a curve. Review 7 × 8 right before that drop and it lasts longer the next time. Spaced repetition is the schedule that tracks that moment for every fact, so each one has its own next date.
Do I need to create an account?
No. Open TimesOwl on the device your child will practice on. Keep using that same phone, tablet, or laptop and they keep their progress. An email and password is only if you later want to switch devices, and most families never add one.
How long does a session take?
You pick 1, 2, 5, or 10 minutes. Five is the default. The session ends when that timer hits zero, and it only includes facts that are due. Extra cards tonight do not replace waiting until a fact is actually due.
What ages is TimesOwl for?
Roughly 7 to 11, from a child’s first tables through a fourth or fifth grader whose facts are still slow. TimesOwl covers the full tables to 12 × 12 (121 facts, from 2 × 2 through 12 × 12).
Is it timed? My child panics under a clock.
The session has a clock (1, 2, 5, or 10 minutes) and practice ends when it hits zero. Each question waits. A slow correct answer still passes — the fact just comes back sooner than a quick one. A miss comes back in seconds so they can try it again this sitting.
Why do they type the answer?
School quizzes are a blank line, so typing 56 for 7 × 8 is the same motion. Recalling 56 from an empty box is what the quiz scores.
What does it cost?
TimesOwl is free right now. Open it and start. You do not need a credit card. If that changes, existing families will hear it from us first.
Does it work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Pick one phone, tablet, or laptop and keep using it. There is a number keypad for answers, and the tap targets are large. You do not install anything.
Guides
Tonight’s five minutes start here.
Start a session. The first answers each get a next review date.
Open it on one device. You do not need a card.
