Each answer is the one before plus 2.
2 times table
2 times table practice, from 1 × 2 to 7 × 2 = 14 and 18 ÷ 2 = 9: doubling put in order, first the table itself, then dividing by 2, which is halving.
Your child can start here once they know the 10 times table and the first multiplication sums to 10; dividing by 2, later on, also needs division up to 20. The 2s are doubling and halving put in order, and a child who already halves 18 and doubles 7 finds these facts familiar instead of new.
Usually taught in Year 2 in England and Wales, around ages 6 to 7. Every child goes at their own pace; this is a guide, not a requirement.
The first of 6 exercises in this topic. See them all
What it looks like for your child
With one exercise from this topic as the example: Mixed up.
1
2
3
4
How it fits together
The arrows point to what can be done next. Whatever sits inside a box belongs to it.
Needed first
Tables 1, 2 & 10
Can come next
first this, then that belongs to
2 times table
Times 2 is doubling: 7 × 2 = 7 + 7.
What times 2 gives the answer? Say the table until you hear it.
Dividing by 2
What times 2 makes it? Find it in the 2 times table.
The number that was divided is the answer times 2.
Sometimes the answer is missing, sometimes a number before it.
Why it matters
Doubles are often the first facts a child knows by heart: 4 + 4, 6 + 6. The 2 times table puts that knowledge in order, which makes it the stepping stone to other tables. The 4 times table is doubling twice and the 8 times table doubling three times, so a child who knows the 2s well already has a shortcut to both.
How to approach it
Start from what your child already knows. For 8 × 2, don't ask about the table but about 8 + 8: the answer is the same and feels familiar at once. Useful to know, too: every answer is even, so an odd answer can never be right.
The division facts work the other way round, because 16 ÷ 2 is half of 16. Halving and doubling mirror each other, and a child who notices that practises both at once.
When is it secure?
A round of 10 sums in one go without a mistake, within 20 seconds. That is about 2 seconds a sum: no more counting, just knowing.