I don’t know about you, but I love a good hack.

Anything that saves time – and energy – like cleaning hacks for lazy mums and slow cooker Christmas fudge – gets my vote.

This term BB has started learning her times tables at school, and in a bid to help at home we’ve been using the new Maths Rockx app, which is basically the times tables set to pop music.

The cheat’s guide to helping with times tables

The idea is children learn each set of times tables to the tune of a different pop song from the likes of P!nk and One Direction, making it a fun and engaging way to learn.

We started with the two times tables about six weeks ago and have been progressing from there, and I have to say I’ve been amazed at BB’s progress.

You can create a personalised playlist and so far we’re up to the five times tables, which is set to P!nk’s So What (highly addictive or annoying, depending on your taste in music!)

At first I couldn’t see how she was actually going to learn the tables, because there’s no explanation, just the numbers set to the tune of each song.

But after catching her singing the times tables around the house – and correctly – I’ve realised it doesn’t matter. The information is going in and, even better, I’ve barely had to do anything.

I asked BB what her favourite thing has been about the app so far and she says the quiz, which gives you a big fat green tick when you get a question right.

I imagined the times tables being a bit of a challenge to learn – and help with – but so far it’s been a breeze, not like work at all, and I’m so pleased BB’s finding it a fun experience.

According to the app’s creator Jo Otto Maths Rockx is also getting a great response from parents of children with special needs, and it’s helping children with minor learning difficulties grasp the times tables too.

There are other – free – apps out there but owing to the royalty factor (One Direction aren’t multi-millionaires for nothing) this one costs £7.99 for 11 songs, and I do think it’s worth it. After all, if you were going to buy a maths book to help them you’d probably end up spending the same.

Are you in the process of helping with times tables? Do you have any top tips?

This post was written in collaboration with Maths Rockx. Maths Rockx is available on iPhone and Android devices for £7.99 for 11 songs. To download the app visit iTunes or Google Play app stores. To find out more have a look at their YouTube video below, or visit www.mathsrockx.com

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