Even if they can recite the multiplication table, some children freeze when faced with problems like "â–¡ × 4 = 28" where they have to find the missing number. They may also struggle to find "rules" by ...
Most people will probably remember the times tables from primary school quizzes. There might be patterns in some of them (the simple doubling of the 2 times table) but others you just learnt by rote.