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The 2 times table

Worksheet + game · PDF · free

Multiplying by 2 is doubling. Start with pairs in the room — two eyes, two shoes, two wheels — so the idea is physical before it is abstract. Skip-count in twos aloud: 2, 4, 6, 8. Every answer is even. When a child stalls on a fact, ask what the number added to itself makes, not what comes next if you count on in ones. The 2s table underpins the 4s and 8s, because those are doubled again. Build quick recall, but keep doubling visible so the table feels connected rather than like a list to memorise.

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Worked example

For 7 × 2, think double 7. Seven added to itself is 14, so 7 × 2 = 14. Check with objects: seven pairs of counters is fourteen counters in all.

Watch for this

Counting up in ones from zero — 2, 4, 6, 8 — works early on but collapses under time pressure. Prompt doubling instead: 'What is 7 plus 7?' That route stays fast as numbers grow.

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