2nd Grade Math · Parent guide
What Math Should a 2nd Grader Know?
Complete Parent Guide
By the end of 2nd grade, your child should know all sums of two one-digit numbers from memory, add and subtract within 100 quickly and within 1000 using place value, read and write numbers to 1000 (and know that 706 is 7 hundreds, 0 tens and 6 ones), measure with rulers in inches and centimeters, tell time to the nearest five minutes, and solve problems with coins and dollar bills. The Common Core standards name four focus areas for grade 2: place value, fluent addition and subtraction, standard units of measure, and shapes. Here is what each looks like, with sample problems, signs of trouble and quick activities.
Reviewed against the Common Core standards.
What 2nd Graders Learn in Math, by Domain
These are the Common Core State Standards for Grade 2 math, grouped by domain and put into plain English. Many states use them as written or in an adapted version, so your school's wording may differ slightly. The code after each skill is the standard it comes from, and each domain links to the full text on the Common Core site. Read the official Grade 2 introduction.
Operations & Algebraic Thinking
Common Core 2.OA- Solve one- and two-step word problems within 100 (2.OA.1)
- Add and subtract within 20 fluently, and by the end of the year know all sums of two one-digit numbers from memory (2.OA.2)
- Tell whether a group of up to 20 objects is odd or even, and write an even number as a double, such as 14 = 7 + 7 (2.OA.3)
- Find the total in an array of up to 5 rows and 5 columns by adding equal groups, the first step toward multiplication (2.OA.4)
Number & Operations in Base Ten
Common Core 2.NBT- Know that the digits in a three-digit number are hundreds, tens and ones (2.NBT.1)
- Count within 1000 and skip-count by 5s, 10s and 100s (2.NBT.2)
- Read and write numbers to 1000 as numerals, number words and expanded form, such as 400 + 30 + 6 (2.NBT.3)
- Add and subtract within 100 fluently, and within 1000 using place value strategies (2.NBT.5, 2.NBT.7)
- Add or subtract 10 or 100 from any number between 100 and 900 in their head (2.NBT.8)
Measurement & Data
Common Core 2.MD- Measure with rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks and tape measures, and estimate in inches, feet, centimeters and meters (2.MD.1, 2.MD.3)
- Measure how much longer one object is than another (2.MD.4)
- Tell and write time to the nearest five minutes, using a.m. and p.m. (2.MD.7)
- Solve word problems with dollar bills, quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies, using the $ and ¢ signs (2.MD.8)
- Make picture graphs, bar graphs and line plots and answer questions about them (2.MD.9, 2.MD.10)
Geometry
Common Core 2.G- Recognize and draw triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons and cubes by their sides, angles and faces (2.G.1)
- Split a rectangle into rows and columns of equal squares and count them (2.G.2)
- Split circles and rectangles into halves, thirds and fourths, and know equal shares do not have to be the same shape (2.G.3)
What 2nd Grade Math Problems Look Like
Original practice problems written to match the standards above, with the answer and the thinking we would hope to hear.
Two-step word problem (2.OA.1)
There were 45 people on a bus. At the first stop, 12 got off. At the second stop, 8 got on. How many people are on the bus now?
Answer: 41. First 45 - 12 = 33, then 33 + 8 = 41.
Place value (2.NBT.1, 2.NBT.3)
Write 706 in expanded form. How many tens does it have?
Answer: 700 + 6, or 7 hundreds + 0 tens + 6 ones. It has 0 tens in the tens place, which is the part children most often miss.
Money (2.MD.8)
Jayden has 2 quarters, 1 dime and 3 pennies. How much money does he have?
Answer: 63¢. 25 + 25 = 50, plus 10 is 60, plus 3 is 63.
Subtracting across hundreds (2.NBT.7)
What is 503 - 147?
Answer: 356. Your child should be able to explain the regrouping: 503 is 4 hundreds, 9 tens and 13 ones, and 13 - 7 = 6, 9 - 4 = 5, 4 - 1 = 3.
Signs Your 2nd Grader May Be Behind in Math
These are worth a conversation with the teacher if they are still true in the second half of 2nd grade:
- !Still counts on fingers for sums like 7 + 8, even though the standards expect single-digit sums from memory by the end of the year
- !Reads 706 as "seventy-six" or writes "four hundred twelve" as 40012
- !Lines up digits from the left when adding, so 45 + 7 comes out as 115
- !Can read a digital clock but not an analog one past the hour and half hour
- !Cannot count a mix of quarters, dimes and nickels
Short At-Home Activities (10 Minutes or Less)
Skip-count on the way to school
Count by 5s, 10s and 100s, and start from numbers other than zero: "Start at 230 and count by tens." The standards ask for skip-counting within 1000, not just to 100.
Run a coin store
Price toys at 37¢, 52¢ or 85¢ and let your child pay with real coins. Then ask how much more they would need to buy two things.
Fact flash in the car
Call out one sum (8 + 7) and see how fast the answer comes. Spend most of the time on the doubles-plus-one facts (7 + 8, 6 + 7), which are usually the slowest.
Measure two ways
Measure the same table in inches and in centimeters and ask why the centimeter number is bigger. That is standard 2.MD.2 in one question.
Read the kitchen clock to five minutes
Ask the time when the minute hand is on a number other than 12 or 6. Count by 5s around the clock face with your child until it is automatic.
Find Your Child's Exact Level
Not sure where your second grader stands? Our diagnostic checks the 2nd grade skills above (facts, place value to 1000, money and time) and shows exactly which need work, in about 10 minutes.
Start the DiagnosticQuestions Parents Ask
What math facts should my 2nd grader know by memory?
All sums of two one-digit numbers, from 0 + 0 up to 9 + 9, by the end of 2nd grade (2.OA.2). Children should also subtract within 20 fluently using mental strategies. Multiplication facts come in 3rd grade.
Do 2nd graders learn multiplication?
Not formally. They lay the groundwork: adding equal groups in arrays up to 5 by 5 (2.OA.4), skip-counting by 5s, 10s and 100s, and deciding whether a number is odd or even. Multiplication and division start in 3rd grade.
My 2nd grader can add but struggles with regrouping. What should I do?
Go back to place value. Use bundled sticks or base-ten blocks to show that 52 is 5 tens and 2 ones, and that you can trade a ten for 10 ones when you subtract 52 - 17. The standards ask children to explain why their strategy works (2.NBT.9), not just follow steps.
How big are the numbers in 2nd grade math?
Up to 1000. Second graders read, write and compare three-digit numbers, add and subtract within 1000 using place value, and fluently add and subtract within 100.
Is it normal for a 2nd grader to struggle with telling time?
It is common, because time moves from half hours in 1st grade to the nearest five minutes in 2nd grade, with a.m. and p.m. (2.MD.7). A real analog clock at home and counting by 5s around the face helps most.