Times Table Tester

Shed a little light on those tricky times tables with this maths tester! Made from a paper plate, this ‘sunny’ visual guide has a number on each ray of sunlight, and a pointer with a number and a mathematical symbol on it that forms a sum each time it lines up with one of the rays. Use workbooks or simply ask children to give the answer out loud. Great for solo learning or groups.

Skill Level

Intermediate

Time to Make

1 hour

Adult Supervision

Yes

Times Table Tester

Top Tip

Add a split pin to secure the pointer in place if you're going to be holding it up; it's left loose to make it easier for children to grip and spin if handling the tester themselves.

How to Make

  1. Take a yellow paper plate and put to one side. Decide how many sums you'd like to create for your tester and then cut out a yellow strip of card (making sure each strip is the same size) for each sum.
  2. Stick the yellow strips around the outside of the plate to create the sun's rays, ensuring they are spaced out equally and then secure them in place on the reverse of the plate using Glue Dots.
  3. Cut a red pointer from card, ensuring it is the right size when placed in the centre and moved around the plate, lining up with the yellow strips around the outside. Using self-adhesive number stickers, place a number and a multiplication symbol on the pointer.
  4. Add a number to each yellow strip, as shown, either using stickers or by handwriting them. Then, when the pointer moves around the sun from the centre, it will form a sum with each yellow strip. You can create more pointers with different numbers on them to test different times tables, as well as creating pointers with different symbols on them to test addition, subtraction and division.