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6 October 2026

Mental Maths Tips and Tricks

Some of these are for Rigid Digit, but most are just good mental maths: the kind of shortcuts that make numbers feel friendlier wherever you meet them. Pick one or two to try today.

Start with the target

• Break the target into pieces

  Split the target into numbers that multiply together, then look for tiles that make those pieces.

  220 = 2 × 11 × 10

• Even target? Halve it

  If the target is even, make half of it, then double. Half is often much easier to find.

  246 = 123 × 2

• Look for a near miss

  Find a round number close to the target, then make the small difference with what's left.

  54 = 50 + 475 − 25 = 508 ÷ 2 = 4

• Work backwards

  Ask what divides into the target, or what sits one small hop from it, then see if your numbers can build that.

  54 = 2 × 2754 = 3 × 1854 = 6 × 9

Make the most of your numbers

• Big numbers get you close

  Use the big numbers to get into range, and save the small ones for fine-tuning.

  75 × 3 = 225225 − 2 = 223

• Make tens

  Pairs that add to ten, like 7 and 3 or 6 and 4, turn awkward sums into easy ones.

  7 + 8 + 3= (7 + 3) + 8 = 18

• Turn spare numbers into 1s and 2s

  Two leftover numbers can often make a handy 1 or 2 for nudging a total into place.

  6 ÷ 6 = 110 − 8 = 2

Everyday shortcuts

• Times 5: times 10, then halve

  Multiplying by 10 is easy, and halving is easy. Together they make 5.

  46 × 5= 460 ÷ 2 = 230

• Times 9: times 10, then take one away

  Nine lots of something is ten lots, minus one lot.

  9 × 24= 240 − 24 = 216

• Times 25: times 100, then quarter

  Four 25s make 100, so multiply by 100 and divide by 4.

  25 × 12= 1200 ÷ 4 = 300

• Double one, halve the other

  The answer doesn't change, and you can keep going until the sum is easy.

  16 × 25= 8 × 50= 4 × 100 = 400

• Break it apart

  Split a tricky number into friendly parts, multiply each, then add them back together.

  7 × 24= 7 × 20 + 7 × 4= 140 + 28 = 168

• Add from the left

  Add the tens first, then the ones. It's how most quick mental adders do it.

  47 + 38= 70 + 15 = 85

These are classic mental maths strategies, the kind good maths teachers have been sharing for years. For lots more, maths educator Greg Tang's Tang Math Games videos are full of clever ways to see numbers differently. Well worth a follow.

Got a favourite trick we've missed? Share it in the comments below.