Once a child knows that 6 + 6 is 12, they are one small step away from knowing 6 + 7. That step is the near doubles strategy, and it is one of the first "thinking" strategies children meet after counting on. This guide explains what near doubles are, why schools teach them, and how you can practise them at home in five minutes a day, with no worksheets needed.
A near double is an addition fact that sits right next to a doubles fact. For example, 6 + 7 is next to 6 + 6, and 4 + 5 is next to both 4 + 4 and 5 + 5. The idea is simple: use a fact you already know to work out one you don't. Everyday Mathematics describes it in just this way, as a strategy that starts from a known double to solve a nearby fact.
Here is the whole idea in one line:
Schools teach it on both sides of the Atlantic. In the US, the Common Core standard 1.OA.C.6 for Grade 1 uses this very example of 6 + 7. In England, the NCETM Year 1 materials ask pupils to use doubles and halves to work out near doubles, and Oak National Academy has a Year 2 lesson on it.
Near doubles are the natural next step after the make-ten strategy in our number bonds to 10 guide. Together, the two strategies cover most of the single-digit addition facts.
Near doubles only help if the doubles themselves are instant. Here they are, from 1 + 1 to 10 + 10:
Two patterns are worth pointing out to your child. Every double is an even number, and each answer is 2 more than the one before it. If they forget 7 + 7, they can step up from 6 + 6 = 12 by adding 2.
Real-life pictures make the doubles stick:
Spend as long as you need on this stage. A child who still counts to find 7 + 7 will find 7 + 8 harder with near doubles, not easier.
When two numbers are one apart, there are two ways to use a double.
Double the smaller number, then add 1. For 7 + 8, think: 7 + 7 = 14, and 14 + 1 = 15.
Double the larger number, then take 1 away. For 7 + 8, think: 8 + 8 = 16, and 16 − 1 = 15.
Both routes land on the same answer, so let your child pick the double they feel surest about. Oak's lesson shows both ways with 4 + 5: 4 + 4 = 8, so 4 + 5 = 9; or 5 + 5 = 10, so 4 + 5 = 9.
A few more to try together:
Remind your child that order doesn't matter in addition. 8 + 7 is the same as 7 + 8, so if they know one, they know the other. Common Core calls this out in 1.OA.B.3, and it halves the number of facts to learn.
Some facts are two apart, such as 5 + 7. Your child can still start from a double:
There is also a neat shortcut called the in-between double. Move 1 from the bigger number to the smaller one, and both numbers meet in the middle: 5 + 7 = 6 + 6 = 12. The total doesn't change, because nothing was added or taken away; 1 just moved across.
Check another one: 6 + 8 = 7 + 7 = 14.
Treat plus two as optional for younger children. Shelley Gray lists doubles plus two alongside plus one and minus one, but it is best kept as an extension once plus one feels easy.
A strategy is only useful when it is the quickest route. Two cases where near doubles are not the best choice:
Encourage your child to look at a sum before diving in. Are the numbers the same or close together? Use a double. Is one of them close to 10? Make ten. Choosing a strategy is a skill in itself, and it matters more than any single trick.
Every near double gives you two subtraction facts for free. Since 6 + 7 = 13, we also know 13 − 6 = 7 and 13 − 7 = 6.
Children can also "think addition" to subtract. For 15 − 7, ask: what do I add to 7 to get 15? Since 7 + 7 = 14 and 7 + 8 = 15, the answer is 8.
Doubles give halves too. 14 − 7 = 7, because 7 + 7 = 14. The NCETM materials pair doubles with halves for exactly this reason. For more ways to take away in your head, see our Speedy Subtraction Tips.
Before you go to numbers alone, let your child see the doubles with real objects: two rows of counters, two ten frames, or pairs of buttons. Seeing 6 and 6 side by side, then adding one more counter to make 6 and 7, shows why the strategy works. Shelley Gray recommends this concrete-first approach before moving on to written sums.
Once the idea makes sense, try this short routine:
Keep it light and keep it daily. For more short activities that fit into a busy day, try our math brain breaks.
When all three are true, try bigger doubles. 25 + 26 = 25 + 25 + 1 = 51 uses exactly the same idea. Our Quick Addition Tricks post has more ways to add larger numbers in your head.
It is a way to add two numbers that are close together by starting from a doubles fact you already know. For 6 + 7, think 6 + 6 = 12, then add 1 more to get 13.
Doubles plus one doubles the smaller number and adds 1. Doubles minus one doubles the larger number and takes 1 away. For 7 + 8, that is either 14 + 1 or 16 − 1, and both give 15.
They are 1 + 1 = 2, 2 + 2 = 4, 3 + 3 = 6, 4 + 4 = 8, 5 + 5 = 10, 6 + 6 = 12, 7 + 7 = 14, 8 + 8 = 16, 9 + 9 = 18 and 10 + 10 = 20. Every answer is even.
Usually in Grade 1 in the US, where it is part of the Common Core standard 1.OA.C.6. In England it appears in Year 1 and is practised again in Year 2.
Skip it for tiny facts like 1 + 2, where counting one more is quicker, and for numbers far apart like 8 + 3, where making ten works better.
Each near double gives two subtraction facts, so 6 + 7 = 13 means 13 − 7 = 6. Children can also find 15 − 7 by asking what goes with 7 to make 15, and use 7 + 8 = 15 to get 8.
Spend five minutes a day: finger doubles, a quick double-then-near-double chain, a few dice rolls, and a round of 1-digit Sum on MathApp Practice or Math Balloon Pop. Use counters or ten frames first if the idea is new.