Times Alive – FUN Way to Learn Multiplication through Cartoons, Songs, and Games!

This post is written in partnership with Academics’ Choice and City Creek Press. Though I received a free download of the app and was compensated for my time, opinions are 100% my own.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever sat with a frustrated child at the dining room table, trying to help them understand multiplication. Is your hand up? (I’m guessing it is.) Speaking as a former classroom teacher, I know just how tricky multiplication can be for many students.

A few years ago, despite having taught several classrooms of children to multiply, I found my own son to be struggling. He picked up most of the times tables easily, but found it difficult to commit the 6s and 9s to memory. I tried every trick I knew. We toiled at that table, and his frustration only seemed to mount. And then I heard about Times Alive.

Based on the award-winning book, “Times Tables the Fun Way”, Times Alive uses animated cartoons, stories, songs, quizzes, and interactive games to help children commit the multiplication facts to memory.

He started watching the cartoons and a light went on. His visual mind was able to connect the imagery to the facts – and suddenly he could remember that pair of thirsty sixes in the desert, and knew that 6×6=36.

It worked.

Fast forward to today when I was asked to review the Times Alive app. This isn’t just a product I was asked to review – it’s something I’ve actually used and seen results from. AND, I’m really excited that this program is now more accessible than ever. There are a TON of super-cool products surrounding Times Tables the Fun Way including videos, software, and workbooks. BUT, I love that parents can just head to the app store and grab Times Alive for their phone or tablet.

Times Alive is designed to make memorization easy and fun so students are eager to learn and can proceed with the times tables committed to memory, in order to solve higher math including ratios, division, and algebraic equations. Bottom line? If something is fun and engaging, a child will WANT to do it. Kids like and enjoy the cartoons and catchy songs featured in Times Alive, making them want to interact with the app. As they play through the lessons, the stories, songs, and carefully designed images are helping them commit the multiplication facts to memory.

For example, you could select the Lesson 2a, which teaches your child the answer to 3×3. In the cartoon, your child will watch 3 cute mice who have 3 tails each.

The song, cartoon, and imager used all work together to help the child commit to memory that 3×3=9. Everything is so carefully constructed. Once your child has watched the cartoon, they will be quizzed on the fact learned in the video- adding yet another layer of comprehension.

The Times Alive app teaches children the 0-9’s times table, and the app keeps track of student progress showing completed lessons, test scores, and time for completion.