10 times table in real life: scoreboards

Quick answer

You can use scoreboards from football, rugby, or any game to help you learn the 10 times table. Every time you see a number on a scoreboard, you can think about how many tens it has. For example, 30 points means 3 tens, 50 points means 5 tens, and so on.

Learning outcome

By the end of this page, you will be able to use scoreboards to help you learn and remember the 10 times table from 0 to 12.

• You can count by tens using numbers from a scoreboard.
• You can match scoreboard numbers to the 10 times table.
• You can solve simple problems using the 10 times table from a scoreboard.
• You can play a game using scoreboard numbers to practice your 10 times table.

Why this matters

Learning the 10 times table helps you understand how numbers work, especially when you are adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing by 10. Scoreboards are all around us – in football, rugby, cricket, basketball, and even video games. When you see a scoreboard, you're seeing real numbers that grow by 10s. This makes it easy to learn the 10 times table because you already know how to count by tens in real life.

How it works

Let’s start with simple counting by tens. When you see a scoreboard, you can count how many tens are in each number.

1. Look at a scoreboard and find a number.
2. Count how many tens are in that number.
3. Match that number to the 10 times table.
4. Practice saying it out loud or writing it down.

For example, if a football team scores 40 points, that’s 4 tens. If they score 70 points, that’s 7 tens. You can keep going all the way to 120 points – that’s 12 tens!

Examples you can see

Let’s look at some examples from real scoreboards:

Notice how the number of tens matches the number in the 10 times table? That’s the pattern you can use to remember!

Try it as a mini adventure

Imagine you are a scoreboard keeper at a big football match. You need to write down the scores every time a team scores. You see the score go up like this:

1. First score: 10 points – that’s 1 ten
2. Second score: 20 points – that’s 2 tens
3. Third score: 30 points – that’s 3 tens
4. Fourth score: 40 points – that’s 4 tens
5. Fifth score: 50 points – that’s 5 tens
6. Sixth score: 60 points – that’s 6 tens
7. Seventh score: 70 points – that’s 7 tens
8. Eighth score: 80 points – that’s 8 tens
9. Ninth score: 90 points – that’s 9 tens
10. Tenth score: 100 points – that’s 10 tens
11. Eleventh score: 110 points – that’s 11 tens
12. Twelfth score: 120 points – that’s 12 tens

Can you write down all the scores and say the 10 times table as you go? Try counting by tens with your hands or using your fingers to help you!

Common mistakes

• Mistake: Thinking 100 is 10 tens, but 100 is actually 10 tens, so it’s correct. This is not a mistake.
• Mistake: Counting 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120 and thinking the 110 is 11 tens.
• Why it happens: Confusing the number of tens with the number itself.
• Fix: Practice counting tens by saying “1 ten, 2 tens, 3 tens…” instead of just “10, 20, 30…”.
• Mistake: Forgetting that 0 x 10 = 0.
• Why it happens: Not connecting the idea of zero groups to the result.
• Fix: Visualize having zero groups of 10 – that’s still zero.

Parent and carer guide

Help your child practice the 10 times table by looking at scoreboards together. You can play a game where you call out a number from a scoreboard, and they say the matching 10 times table fact. Try to find a football, rugby, or cricket match to watch and count the points together. If you’re at home, ask your child to make a scoreboard with 10 blocks for each score (10, 20, 30, etc.) and count the blocks as you go. Don’t worry if they make mistakes – that’s how learning works!

Here are some tips:

• Ask your child to find a scoreboard at home or in a game.
• Use fingers or counters to help them count tens.
• Make it fun by turning it into a race or game.
• Don’t rush – let them take their time to count and think.

Practice questions

1. What is 3 x 10?
2. What is 7 x 10?
3. What is 11 x 10?
4. What is 0 x 10?
5. What is 12 x 10?

Answers:

1. 30
2. 70
3. 110
4. 0
5. 120

FAQ

How can I use scoreboards to learn the 10 times table?

You can look at numbers on a scoreboard and think about how many tens are in that number. For example, if a team scores 60 points, that’s 6 tens, so 6 x 10 = 60.

Why is learning the 10 times table useful?

It helps you quickly multiply or divide by 10. It also helps you understand how numbers grow by tens, which is useful in many real-life situations like counting money, measuring things, or scoring points in games.

What if I forget the 10 times table?

You can always count by tens or look at a scoreboard to help you. You can also use your fingers or draw dots to show how many tens there are.

Can I use the 10 times table in other games?

Yes! Any game with points or scores can help you practice. Try counting the points in your favorite board games, video games, or even in a card game.

What if I don’t like watching sports?

No problem! You can make your own scoreboard with numbers and practice counting by tens. You can also use a number line or a hundreds chart to help you.