1 Times Table: Chart, Rules & Practice for Kids

Quick answer

The 1 times table is just counting: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Any number times 1 is that same number, so 1 × 7 = 7 and 7 × 1 = 7. This is called the identity property. Learn it first, together with the 2s, 5s and 10s, and watch for the classic mix-up with zero: 7 × 0 = 0.

The 1 times table chart

Here are all twelve facts. The answer is always the same as the other number: that is the whole rule. The third column turns each fact around, which is why the 1s also give your child the first fact of every other table.

The 1 times table, from 1 × 1 to 1 × 12
Fact	Answer	Turned around
1 × 1	1	1 × 1 = 1
1 × 2	2	2 × 1 = 2
1 × 3	3	3 × 1 = 3
1 × 4	4	4 × 1 = 4
1 × 5	5	5 × 1 = 5
1 × 6	6	6 × 1 = 6
1 × 7	7	7 × 1 = 7
1 × 8	8	8 × 1 = 8
1 × 9	9	9 × 1 = 9
1 × 10	10	10 × 1 = 10
1 × 11	11	11 × 1 = 11
1 × 12	12	12 × 1 = 12

1 × 11
1 × 22
1 × 33
1 × 44
1 × 55
1 × 66
1 × 77
1 × 88
1 × 99
1 × 1010
1 × 1111
1 × 1212

Counting by 1s is plain counting: each step adds one more group of 1.

The one rule: anything times 1 stays the same

Multiplication means equal groups, so 1 × 6 = 6 means 1 group of 6: one plate with 6 strawberries on it. Turn it around and 6 × 1 = 6 means 6 groups of 1: six plates with one strawberry each. Either way, there are 6 strawberries.

1 group of 6 is 6

6 groups of 1 is 6

That's why every answer in the 1 times table is simply the other number. Mathematicians call 1 the identity for multiplication, because multiplying by 1 leaves a number's identity unchanged. The rule isn't just for small numbers: 1 × 25 = 25, 365 × 1 = 365, and 1 times a million is still a million.

Ask your child to invent the biggest number they can think of and multiply it by 1. When they realize the answer is always “the number you started with,” they own the whole table.

Times 1, times 0 and plus 1: spot the difference

The 1s are easy on their own. The trouble starts when they sit next to the 0s and to adding 1, because the problems look almost the same. Put them side by side and talk about the picture behind each one:

Three look-alike problems with different answers
Problem	Picture it	Answer
6 × 1	6 plates with 1 strawberry on each	6
6 × 0	6 empty plates	0
6 + 1	6 strawberries and 1 more	7

Times 1 keeps the number, times 0 makes zero, and plus 1 gives the next counting number. Mix these three in quick spoken questions (“5 times 1? 5 times 0? 5 plus 1?”) until your child can explain each answer with the plates.

Why learn something so easy?

A quick win. A whole row and a whole column of the multiplication chart, learned in one sitting. Early success makes the harder tables feel possible.
The first step of every table. 7 × 1 = 7 starts the 7s and 12 × 1 = 12 starts the 12s. Skip counting always begins with one group.
The first square number. 1 × 1 = 1 sits in the top-left corner of the chart, where the diagonal of square numbers (1, 4, 9, 16, 25…) begins.
It comes back later. Dividing by 1 keeps a number the same (8 ÷ 1 = 8), and in 4th grade the same idea makes equivalent fractions: multiplying 1/2 by 2/2, which is just 1, gives 2/4.

One fact in every other table

The 1s come first, so there's nothing to lean on yet. It works the other way around: thanks to the turn-around rule, every 1s fact is also the first fact of another table. Learn 1 × 7 = 7 today and 7 × 1 = 7 is already done when the 7s come along.

1 × 1 = 1square
1 × 2 = 2also 2 × 1
1 × 3 = 3also 3 × 1
1 × 4 = 4also 4 × 1
1 × 5 = 5also 5 × 1
1 × 6 = 6also 6 × 1
1 × 7 = 7also 7 × 1
1 × 8 = 8also 8 × 1
1 × 9 = 9also 9 × 1
1 × 10 = 10also 10 × 1
1 × 11 = 11also 11 × 1
1 × 12 = 12also 12 × 1

Common mistakes with the 1s (and quick fixes)

Adding instead of multiplying. A child answers 9 for 1 × 8, because 1 + 8 is 9. Say it as groups, “1 group of 8,” and draw one circle with 8 dots in it.
Mixing up ×1 and ×0. Answering 5 for 5 × 0, or 0 for 5 × 1. Go back to the plates: 5 plates with 1 cookie each, or 5 empty plates.
Answering 1. Some kids copy the 1 they see and answer 1 for 9 × 1. Ask: “Which number stays the same?”
Thinking the rule stops at 12. Try big numbers on purpose: 1 × 500 = 500. The rule works for every number.

The 1 times table in real life

Ones are everywhere: one horn on a unicorn, one nose on every face, one ticket per ride. Word problems with 1 are a gentle way to practice reading a story and deciding whether to multiply.

A unicorn has 1 horn. How many horns do 9 unicorns have?

9 × 1 = 9, so 9 unicorns have 9 horns: 9 groups of 1.

Each child at a party gets 1 balloon. There are 12 children. How many balloons are needed?

12 × 1 = 12 balloons.

Maya puts 8 stickers on 1 page of her sticker book. How many stickers are on that page?

1 × 8 = 8 stickers. One group of 8 is 8.

Every ride at the fair costs 1 ticket. Leo has 7 tickets. How many rides can he go on?

7 ÷ 1 = 7, so 7 rides. Dividing by 1 keeps the number the same.

Tap a story to see the answer. Ask your child to draw a quick picture first: groups, an array or a number line.

1 times table practice

Ten questions, mixed on purpose: some are turned around, and some have a missing number, like 1 × ? = 7. Tap a question to check the answer, and ask your child which trick they used. One question is about zero, on purpose. Finding a missing factor is how third graders start to think about division (3.OA.A.4).

1 × 4 = ?
1 × 4 = 4
9 × 1 = ?
9 × 1 = 9
1 × 12 = ?
1 × 12 = 12
1 × ? = 7
1 × 7 = 7
8 × ? = 8
8 × 1 = 8
? × 10 = 10
1 × 10 = 10
? × 1 = 5
5 × 1 = 5
1 × 1 = ?
1 × 1 = 1
6 × 0 = ?
6 × 0 = 0
11 × 1 = ?
11 × 1 = 11

Division facts for the 1s

Division undoes multiplication, so the 1s come with two division rules: dividing by 1 leaves a number the same (9 ÷ 1 = 9), and any number except 0 divided by itself is 1 (9 ÷ 9 = 1).

1 × 9 = 9
9 × 1 = 9
9 ÷ 9 = 1
9 ÷ 1 = 9

One fact family: two multiplication facts and two division facts

9 ÷ 1 = ?
9 ÷ 1 = 9
9 ÷ 9 = ?
9 ÷ 9 = 1
12 ÷ 1 = ?
12 ÷ 1 = 12
12 ÷ 12 = ?
12 ÷ 12 = 1
4 ÷ 1 = ?
4 ÷ 1 = 4
7 ÷ ? = 7
7 ÷ 1 = 7

Want a printed set? Our times tables worksheets and division facts worksheets come with answer keys.

Frequently asked questions

What is the rule for the 1 times table?

Any number times 1 equals that same number: 1 × 6 = 6 and 6 × 1 = 6. It's called the identity property of multiplication, and it works for every number, so 1 × 100 = 100 too.

What is 1 times 1?

1 × 1 = 1. One group with one thing in it is one thing. It's also the first square number on the multiplication chart, at the top of the diagonal of squares: 1, 4, 9, 16 and so on.

What is the difference between multiplying by 1 and by 0?

Times 1 keeps the number: 8 × 1 = 8, like 8 plates with 1 cookie each. Times 0 makes zero: 8 × 0 = 0, like 8 empty plates. Mixing them up is one of the most common slips, so picture the plates.

What is the identity property of multiplication?

It's the rule that multiplying any number by 1 doesn't change it: 1 × a = a × 1 = a. The number 1 is called the multiplicative identity. Kids use it in the 1 times table, and later to divide by 1 and to make equivalent fractions.

Do kids need to practice the 1 times table?

Only briefly. Once the rule makes sense, most kids know all twelve facts at once. It's worth mixing in a few ×0 and +1 questions so the rules don't get crossed. The 1s also give every child an easy early win before the harder tables.

What is 12 times 1?

12 × 1 = 12, and 1 × 12 = 12 as well. Twelve groups of one thing each is 12 things, just as one group of 12 is 12.

Sources

Common Core State Standards: Grade 3, Operations & Algebraic Thinking — CCSSI

Written by The Mathing Team for parents and teachers. Grade expectations follow the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics; your state or school may sequence skills a little differently.