Fun Ways to Practice Doubles

When students have a solid understanding of their doubles facts, it enables them to work on other mental math strategies. In order to do this, kids need many opportunities to practice these math facts. Here are some fun ways to practice doubles.

FUN WAYS TO PRACTICE DOUBLES

Read Books

Sharing books with kids can bring mathematical concepts to life in new ways. Here are a few books about doubles:

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Use Songs and Chants

Sometimes adding a catchy tune or rhythm can help kids add math facts to memory.

Here’s one from Jack Hartman Kids Music Channel.

Here’s another one from Harry Kindergarten Music.

Add Movement

Sitting in a chair or on the floor all day is not good for anyone. Get your kids up and moving while still learning by connecting the doubles facts with movements.

Jump Rope – have your students recite their doubles facts while keeping the rope moving. Try offering a challenge: can students get all the way to 10+10=20 without stopping? If you don’t have jump ropes, students can do jumping jacks in place.
Hopscotch – as students reach the number where the rock landed, they must name the doubles fact before they can pick up the rock and return to start.
Skipping – have your students practice skip counting by 2s or reciting doubles facts while skipping.

Need to get your students up and moving? Take them outside to play hopscotch. As students reach the number where the rock landed, they must name the doubles fact before they can pick up the rock and return to start.

Play Games

I love to incorporate games into the classroom as much as possible and math is no exception. Using familiar games allows students to focus on the skill instead of wasting time learning the rules of a game. Here are a few games that allow students to practice doubles while still having fun.

These games allow students to practice doubles while still having fun. The games include Cover Up, Perfect Match, and Doubles Bump. There are options for Doubles +1 and Doubles +2 facts, as well.

Cover Up – A student draws a doubles fact card, hunts for the sum on the game board, and covers it with one of his cubes. If the sum is already covered, the player doesn’t cover anything and the next player takes a turn. The first player to cover three sums in a row (vertically, horizontally, or diagonally) wins the game.
Perfect Match – this game is played like Memory. Students work to find one doubles fact and the matching sum. This can be played independently or with a partner.
Doubles Bump – A student draws a doubles fact card, hunts for the sum on the game board, and covers it with one of her cubes. If the number is already covered by her partner’s cube, the student may “bump” the cube off the board. However, if the number is already covered by her own cube, she may stack a second cube on top and that space is now safe. The first player to use all of their cubes wins.

You can find all of these games here. There are options for Doubles +1 and Doubles +2 as well.

Make Art

For a creative outlet, let your students create some symmetrical art to represent doubles facts like double domino tiles. You can do this with paint or Bingo daubers. Take a half sheet of paper and fold in half (hamburger style). Draw a line down the crease. Have students dab (or paint) the spots on one half. Fold, rub, and open to reveal the double. These would make great visuals as you put doubles facts on display around the classroom. As an added bonus, you can round the edges to make them look even more like dominoes.

Looking for something with a little less prep? I have some color-by-code pages for doubles facts. You can find those pages here.

Explore the Real World

Another way to get your kids up and moving is to let them look for doubles in the real world. They can walk around the school, or encourage them to walk around their house or neighborhood with a parent or guardian. Students can draw pictures or take photographs of doubles in action. These drawings or photos could be combined to make a class book about doubles.

Let students look for doubles in the real world. They can walk around the school, or encourage them to walk around their house or neighborhood with a parent or guardian. Students can draw pictures or take photographs of doubles in action. These drawings or photos could be combined to make a class book about doubles.

Teaching Tip: Use Mirrors

Do you have students who struggle to understand how doubles work or cannot visualize them? Grab a mirror! Call out a number and have the student hold up that many fingers in the mirror. Their reflection will help show them the double.

What are your favorite ways to help students practice doubles?

Looking for more ways to make math fun and engaging for your students? Check out these posts:

Enjoy!