1. ‘If I add 20 to my name the answer is 60′ type.

This type of question can be worked out either by subtraction ( 60 – 20) or adding on from the lower number (add on from 20 to 60).

2. ‘If I double my name the answer is 80′ type.

This type of question can be solved by halving the number (half of 80 is 40).

3. ‘I am a 2-digit number. My digits total 5 and have a difference of 3.’

This has to be done in two stages and is quite tricky. Find 2-digit numbers where the digits add up to 5 (e.g. 32 or 23 or 14 or 41). Then choose one which has a difference of 3. There are two possible answers (14 or 41).

4. ‘If I halve my number and add 4 the answer is 7.’

This again involves two steps. Firstly subtract 4 from 7 (3) and then double the answer (6).

Go to Problem Solving worksheet

1. Identifying and describing 2-D shapes such as squares, triangles, circles, pentagons and hexagons. They will be able to talk about how the number of sides and corners helps to identify the shapes.
2. Exploring 3-D shapes and the number of faces and corners.
3. Comparing two shapes, saying what is the same and what is different about them.
4. Sorting shapes using just one criterion to begin with and going on to place them in diagrams such as Venn or Carroll.
5. Recognising that shapes do not change if they are moved or turned.

Don’t forget to include shape recognition in mental work; simply holding up a shape and asking what is it called, how many sides has it, how many faces etc. Rotate the shape to show that it stays being the same shape. (You would be surprised at the number of adults who see a square tilted onto one corner and then describe it as a diamond!)

Construction kits are a great resource to use, both the brick type and the straw or pole type. Nothing can beat hands on building and don’t forget to discuss the properties of the shapes being made.

A really good game to play is to sit back to back , each with the same number and colours of bricks (just 4 or 5) and one person describe their shape to the other, so that they can build the same shape: much trickier than it might seem!

You will find lots of worksheets on these tasks in our Year 2 Subtraction section, but perhaps even better are our Year 2 Subtraction Maths Games, especially the Subtraction Strategies category. They give unlimited practice at these skills and really good results can be printed out and used as a record of achievement. Why not have a look now?

This set of pages helps with adding money. Add the 10p coin to the other coins to find out how much the rabbit has. Why not use real coins to help you?

Add_10p_and_pence

Counting and understanding number:

·    Children should be able to say and use number names up to 10. A good example of this would be to join in nursery rhymes or songs such as
“One, two three, four, five. Once I caught a fish alive.”

·    Children should be beginning to count up in ones, up to 10 objects. This would be in a practical sense of counting a number of objects that they can touch (pieces of a jigsaw, coins, hats etc).  Later they can count things they can see, but not touch (panes in a window, cows in a field etc ).They can then begin to count down from a small number e.g. 5,4,3,2,1,0.

·    They should be beginning to use mathematical language to compare two numbers.
Words to include are: bigger/smaller, more/less, first/last.

·    Recognise the numerals 1 to 9. Birthday cards with the age on is always a good starting point. Make a set of numbers from 0 to 9 on card. Pick out the numbers in a story: 3 Billie Goats Gruff  etc.

Knowing and using number facts:

·    Children should know one more or one less than a number between 1 and 10. In other words they know that 5 is one more than 4 etc. Again, the real world is the best learning environment – laying the table, in the kitchen etc.

Calculating:

·    Children should begin to see addition as the combining of two groups of objects. (An example of this might be “Show me 3 fingers on your right hand. Show me two fingers on your left hand. How many fingers are showing altogether? Count 123….12….12345. They will need the oral prompt of “so 3 fingers and 2 fingers make 5 fingers” after the counting.)

·    Children should begin to see subtraction as ‘taking away’. (When asked how many are left after eating 2 of our 5 cakes, to begin with children will do this by counting how many are left. Having counted what is left, they need the reinforcement orally -“let’s say together 5 take away 2 is 3”.

·    Through practical activities they will begin to use the vocabulary of addition and subtraction: add, make, more, take away, how many are left?

·    A further extension is to begin to share objects into equal groups and count how many there are in each group.

Understanding shape:

·    Children are expected to be able to create simple patterns. Much of this might be described as art work – using sets of shapes, printing, beads, cotton reels etc to create simple patterns and talk about them.

·    Children are expected to be able to use the vocabulary of shape to describe the shape and size of solid and flat shapes: circle, triangle, square, rectangle, cube, cone and sphere. These could be shapes they make themselves or familiar shapes found around the home: mats, boxes etc.

·    Use everyday words to describe the position of objects. A wide vocabulary including: over, under, above, below, next to, in front, behind, outside, inside, next to, left, right, up, down, forwards, backwards, across. Reading books are excellent for this type of work: looking at a picture in a book such as “Where’s Spot”.

Measuring:

·    Children are expected to use the vocabulary of simple measurement, such as: more or less, longer or shorter, greater or smaller, heavier or lighter, thick, thin, tall, high, low, full, empty. Much of this is in the form of comparisons and needs to be done on a practical basis: a pair of balance scales and empty containers which can be filled with sand/water are really useful for this.

·    Children are expected to use the vocabulary of time. They are expected to begin to know the days of the week, morning, afternoon, night, today, tomorrow, yesterday, now, soon, later, before, after, next, last. Again, story books are a superb resource such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar by E Carle. They should be beginning to use hours of the day: my bedtime is 8 o’clock etc.

Handling data:

·    Children are expected to be able to sort familiar objects according to simple criteria – colour, shape, size etc. A tray of beads, lego, coins, marbles etc are all useful for this.
·    They will count the number of objects which share a particular property (eg red crayons).
·    They will also begin to present results of their counting using pictures or drawings.

Using and applying mathematics:

·    Use mathematical ideas to solve simple practical problems.
·    Match sets of objects to numerals.
·    Sort objects.
·    Talk about patterns in number.
·    Talk about how to solve a simple practical problem.

Obviously this is a very brief summary of the hugely complex and very challenging nature of what we hope our children can learn during this exciting time. More will become apparent as you use the worksheets.

This article will try and guide you, in layman’s terms, through the key objectives for the first year and give examples of the kind of maths that is meant by them. In this way you should be able to have a better understanding of what your child is (probably) being taught in school and what the Primary Framework says that they ought to be able to do.

Before we get going the first thing to realise is that the Primary Framework has divided maths into 7 separate sections, or strands, as they call them. We all know that a maths problem can cover several of these strands at one time but for the sake of clarity we will keep the strands separate, and all our material is written with particular strands in mind.

The 7 strands are:

Counting and understanding number
This strand covers topics such as place value (understanding that the 3 in 300 is ten times the value of the 3 in 30), estimating and rounding numbers, number sequences, fractions, decimals and percentages.

Knowing and using number facts
This strand concentrates on what children should know at the end of each year. ‘Tables’ immediately springs to mind.

Calculating
This strand includes the ability to calculate ‘in your head’ and using written methods. Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are the main areas. It is very much tied in with Knowing and using number facts above.

Understanding shape
This strand includes everything to do with shapes: both 2D and 3D.

Measuring
Often we think of measuring just in terms of length, but of course there are also mass or weight, capacity, time, area etc.

Handling data
This strand includes graphs, tally charts, Venn diagrams etc – all ways of displaying results of surveys etc.

Using and applying mathematics
This strand covers all the other six strands as children put their knowledge and skills to use, in solving problems.

So, there we are, the 7 magic strands!

The Government has made funds available for all children to have a free, part time, ‘early years’ education. By 2010 this will be 15 hours a week. The aim is to give all children the very best start to their educational life. This education does not have to be in a school: play groups, nurseries, accredited childminders and children’s centres are just some of the ways this Early Years education can take place. Of course, there is no compulsion to send your child to a nursery, playgroup etc: some of the best education takes place at home!

At this age your child should meet a wide range of experiences, which can be organised into six areas of learning.

1. Personal, social and emotional development
This includes skills such as being able to dress themselves, concepts such as knowing the difference between right and wrong and developing positive attitudes towards themselves and others.

2. Communication, language and literacy
This is the beginning of communicating away from the family.  Your child will learn to talk confidently and clearly, and enjoy stories, poems and songs. They will be introduced to the alphabet and link sounds to letters. This is the stage of beginning to read and use a pencil to write some familiar words.

3. Mathematical development
Stories, nursery rhymes, poems and songs are a great way to start maths. So also is imaginative play. During this time your child will become comfortable with small numbers and with concepts such as longer and shorter, lower and higher etc. They will also explore a range of 3D shapes.
More on this will be found in later articles on maths.

4. Knowledge and understanding of the world
This age must surely be one of the fastest learning curves that children ever experience. Your child will explore the world around them, use different materials to build and make things, be introduced to modern technology and learn how to make good use of these materials and technologies. They will also find out more about the past events in their lives and about different cultures and societies.

5. Physical development
Your child will develop skills of controlling their body as they move over and under equipment and learn to move confidently.

6.Creative development
Your child will explore a fantastic range of activities: dance, music, stories, colours, shapes and so on.
During this time your child will often choose themselves what to do. On other occasions they will take part in activities with other children, learning to share, to listen, to concentrate, or to develop a particular skill like using paint. What a fantastic age to be!

Here we have an example from our ‘Starting off’ section for young children who are learning to count up to 5. Enjoy counting and colouring the cheeky gorillas. These great, coloured pages will help your child to count up to 5 and become confident with small numbers.

This is a pdf

Counting_up_to_5_gorillas

With well over 1000 great colour worksheets and an increasing number of fun, maths games, URBrainy is the place to be.

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