Mental maths · lesson 3 of 28 · free

Near doubles — Mental Maths Mastery

Doubles are easy to remember: 6 + 6 = 12, 15 + 15 = 30. When two numbers are nearly the same, use the double and add the little bit extra.

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How to do it in your head

Double and adjust — “double the smaller number, then add the difference”

  1. Find the smaller number and how much bigger the other one is.
  2. Double the smaller number.
  3. Add the difference.

Use it for: Any two numbers that are 1 or 2 apart: 7 + 8, 25 + 26, 24 + 22.

Worked example: 16 + 17 = 33

  1. 17 is 16 + 1, so this is double 16 and 1 more.
  2. Double 16 = 32.
  3. 32 + 1 = 33.

Check: 16 + 17 = 10 + 10 + 6 + 7 = 20 + 13 = 33 ✓

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✓ Written and checked by the TalentJR team · Updated 13 Oct 2026 · How we make our lessons

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🖨️ Near Doubles Addition Worksheet

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