1. **Problem:** Find the average number of coloured pencils counted by 5 children with counts 13, 8, 24, 11, and 7. 2. **Formula:** The average (mean) is given by $$\text{Average} = \frac{\text{Sum of all values}}{\text{Number of values}}$$ 3. **Step 1:** Calculate the sum of the counts: $$13 + 8 + 24 + 11 + 7 = 63$$ 4. **Step 2:** Divide the sum by the number of children (5): $$\frac{63}{5}$$ 5. **Step 3:** Simplify the division: $$\frac{\cancel{63}}{\cancel{5}} = 12.6$$ 6. **Answer:** The average number of coloured pencils counted is **12.6**.