Adding Doubles
Free doubles game for 1st grade: practice 4 + 4, 7 + 7 and all the doubles facts that anchor mental addition. No download, no sign-up.
Grade 1–2 · Free · No sign-up
How to play & why it works
A focused drill on one fact family: the doubles. 4 + 4, 6 + 6, 9 + 9 — shown as column sums, answered on the number pad, round after round until they are instant.
Doubles are the anchor facts of mental addition. Children learn them faster than any other family (they have a natural rhythm to them), and once they are solid they unlock the near-doubles strategy: 6 + 7 is just 6 + 6 and one more.
Practice until there is no pause at all — doubles are the one family where "pretty fast" is not the goal, instant is. Then look for doubles hiding in bigger problems: 40 + 40, 25 + 25, 300 + 300 all ride on the same facts.
The free MathIt app follows doubles with near-doubles, double-double multiplication (×4 as double twice) and a full mental-math track with adaptive levels and multiplayer.
Doubles are worth drilling on their own because they are unusually easy to memorise and unusually useful afterwards. Once 7 + 7 = 14 is instant, 7 + 8 is one more and 7 + 6 is one less — the near-doubles strategy converts a whole band of facts into a single recall plus an adjustment.
They also lead directly into multiplication: doubling is multiplying by two, and doubling twice is multiplying by four. Children who own their doubles arrive at the 2, 4 and 8 times tables with much of the work already done.
Skills you'll practice
Keep practicing
Frequently asked questions
What are doubles facts in math?
Addition facts where both addends are the same — 3 + 3, 7 + 7, 9 + 9. They are usually the first addition facts children memorise, because the pattern is easy to hold on to.
What are near doubles?
Facts one away from a double, like 6 + 7. You recall the double (6 + 6 = 12) and adjust by one. It turns a hard fact into an easy one plus a small step.
How high should doubles go?
Practise to 12 + 12 — that covers the range children actually use and lines up with the times tables to 12. This drill runs to that ceiling.
Get the full game
Adaptive difficulty, daily streaks, and live 2–5 player math battles — free on iOS and Android.