Helping your child in Year 1 or Year 2 (Ages 5 to 7)

In these years, your child is likely to learn to:

• count up to 20, and then on to 100 and more
• read and write these numbers and put them in order
• know the pairs of numbers which add up to 10, like 1 and 9, 4 and 6
• add and subtract numbers less than 10 in their head, going on to do the same with numbers to 20
• double and halve numbers to 20 and beyond
• know the 2 and 10 times tables, and others up to 5x5
• recognise and name common shapes like the square, circle, cube and cylinder
• compare the lengths, weights, capacities of objects, and later be able to measure using meters, centimetres, kilograms and litres
• recognise coins to £1, find simple totals and give change

The really important things in these years are:

• for children to do their number work with actual objects until they can do the sums in their head
• for them to learn to work as much as possible out in their heads
• for the children to use the facts they know to help them work out new answers. For example:

7+7 is 14, so 7+8 must be 15
you can work out double 13 by adding double 10 to double 3

Each of these skills comes best from lots of talking and explaining through practical examples.