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Video: Year 2 maths#
Watch this video to find out what you can expect your child to learn in maths during Year 2 months at school.
Year 2 maths
What you can expect your child to learn in maths in Year 2 at school.
What your child will learn in maths#
Every day, your child is learning about and using maths ideas like:
- counting
- measuring
- sorting
- patterns
- numbers
- shapes
- size
- position.
You can help them by:
- noticing patterns, shapes, sizes, and numbers wherever you are
- including maths ideas in their play, interests, and everyday activities.
Good maths skills and a positive view of themselves as maths learners will help your child in the future. Maths is important for solving problems and creative thinking.
Encourage your child to use the maths vocabulary they learn in class.
Number#
With your child, you could:
- play 'shops' with real or fake coins – let your child practise exchanging money while pretending to buy and sell household items
- create a number hunt around your house – write numbers on sticky notes and hide them then have your child find them and put them in order from smallest to largest
- practise skip counting while doing everyday activities – count by 2s while putting away pairs of socks, by 5s while setting the table or by 10s while climbing stairs
- cook together using simple recipes – let your child measure ingredients and discuss fractions like a half, quarter and whole cup as you cook
- play 'higher or lower' guessing games with numbers – think of a number between 1 and 20 and give your child clues as they guess if the actual number is higher or lower.
Your child is learning to:
- understand numbers up to 120 by recognising, reading, and writing numbers
- count forwards and backwards in 1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s from any number up to 120
- use te reo Māori for numbers up to 100
- use place value to show numbers, like 32 is 3 10s and 2 1s
- add and subtract using place value, like breaking numbers into 10s and 1s (53 + 21 = 74)
- locate an approximate place of values up to 120 on a number line
- quickly recall addition facts and doubles and halves up to 20
- multiply and divide using skip counting and grouping for 2s, 5s and 10s (4 × 5 as '4 groups of 5')
- understand fractions by recognising and showing ½, ⅓ and ¼ in different ways, like drawings and equipment
- compare fractions to see which is larger and find halves, thirds and quarters of sets by identifying groups and patterns
- work with money by ordering coins or notes from smallest to largest, then group them and add them up ($5 + $5 + $10 = $20).
Words include:
- cent, coin, dollar, note
- denominator
- double, half, third
- estimate, estimation
- even, odd
- money
- multiply, divide
- numerator
- place value
- round (a number)
- skip count
- quantity, amount
- times
- whole set.
Algebra#
With your child, you could:
- play “fill in the blank” maths games, like: “2 + 5 = 3 + ___” – use small objects (buttons, blocks) to help solve it
- make true or false maths statements, such as: “7 - 5 = 6 - 4. Is that true or false?” – encourage your child to explain their thinking
- find and talk about patterns, such as those on cultural fabrics, carvings or artworks
- create repeating patterns using toys, colours, or snacks (e.g. red block, green block, blue block…). Ask your child to copy or continue the pattern.
Make your own patterns together, using three elements (e.g. clap–stomp–jump or spoon–fork–knife) and ask your child to describe it.
Play “what’s missing?” games with patterns, like: “Red, green, blue, red, ____, blue” – ask your child to figure out the missing part.
Your child is learning to:
- check number sentences are true or false for single values (eg 16 > 60, true or false?) and open ended using =, < and >. (eg 18 + _ = 17 + 6 means 18 + 5 = 17 + 6)
- discover that patterns work by identifying what repeats and guessing what comes next – for example, circle, square, triangle, star, circle, square, as well as identifying a missing element in the pattern.
Words include:
- greater than, less than
- predict.
Measurement#
With your child, you could:
- look at a calendar and ask, "how many days/weeks until an event?" "How many days in the month?" Or, how many weekends?" Encourage your child to look for patterns.
- make a timer challenge for regular activities. Time how long it takes to brush your teeth, put on shoes, or clean up toys. Talk about minutes and which activities take longer or shorter amounts of time.
- create measuring puzzles, such as "find something in the kitchen that's longer than your hand but shorter than your arm", or "find something heavier than a pencil but lighter than a book".
Your child is learning to estimate and measure the size, weight, or amount of space something takes up, using everyday objects instead of standard units like centimetres or grams.
For example, they might:
- use paper clips to gauge the length of a pen
- count how many blocks weigh the same as an apple
- use cups to see how much water it takes to fill a bottle.
They are learning to:
- explore length using informal ideas such as how many steps pieces of string, or pencils fit alongside a shape. This hands-on approach helps build a natural sense of measurement without needing standard units like centimeters or grams
- describe turns using full, half-quarter and three-quarter turns. This helps them understand directions and movement in everyday objects and activities
- name and order months of the year and when each season happens. This includes how to describe time spans using years, months, weeks, days, and hours
- tell the time on an analogue clock to the hour, half-hour and quarter-hour using words like 'o'clock' and 'half past'.
Words include:
- anti-clockwise, clockwise
- full turn, half turn, quarter turn
- half past
- months of the year
- polygon
- seasons of the year
- shallow, deep, depth, width
- surface
- turn.
Geometry#
With your child, you could:
- fold a piece of paper to create symmetrical designs. Fold paper in half, make cuts or drawings, then unfold to reveal symmetrical patterns, showing how the shape is the same on both sides.
- create shape art with paper — cut out basic shapes and let your child arrange them to create pictures — such as a square house with a triangle roof, or a rocket made from rectangles and circles.
- build with blocks, boxes, or recycled containers. As your child builds, talk about the shapes they're using, for example: "That tower has a square base and a triangle on top!" to help them understand how 3D shapes work together.
- make an obstacle course or maze where 1 person has to give directions to the other using left and right turns, and forward and back.
Your child is learning to:
- recognise, describe, and sort different 2D and 3D shapes based on their features, like edges, corners, and faces
- slide and turn 2D shapes to make a pattern
- follow and give instructions to move people or objects to a different location, using direction and distances, for example, the number of steps, and half and quarter turns
- look at diagrams to find objects and describe their position.
Words include:
- angle
- direction
- edge, face, vertex
- left, right
- oval, semicircle, polygon (hexagon, pentagon), rectangular prism (cuboid), pyramid, cone
- position.
Statistics#
With your child, you could:
- use comparison language throughout the day. Talk about 'more than,' 'less than,' 'most popular,' or 'least favourite' to build statistical vocabulary naturally.
- play 'estimate and count.' Ask your child to guess how many there are (like a handful of cereal or toys in a container) before you count the objects.
- sort and count collections of objects, like small toys, buttons, or snacks and help your child sort them by colour, size, or type. Ask questions like "which group has the most?" or "which has the fewest?".
Your child is learning to:
collect and organise data using tools like tallies, tables, picture graphs, and dot plots, and recording and sorting the data
analyse results by comparing numbers to decide which statement best answers a question – for example, noticing that there are 7 cats and only 3 dogs, so cats are the most common pet.
These steps help build a strong foundation in data literacy and critical thinking by making statistics accessible and fun.
Words include dot plot.
