Math Skills Every 2nd Grader Needs to Know

Transitioning into a new grade level can be difficult for many children. As they get older, more and more is expected from them when it comes to education and responsibility. Second grade is no different. Your soon-to-be second grader will be expected to know much more in reading, writing and math. With all the extra responsibility of second grade, it’s important that you prepare your child ahead of time. Here are a few math skills you second grader will need to know for a successful school year.

UNDERSTAND PLACE VALUE

Place value is an important concept that serves as a foundation for the rest of the math your second grader will learn. Your child will need to know place values such as ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands. For example, your child might see a math problem that shows the number 5,692 and ask which place the 9 is in and what the value is. Your child will need to be able to answer that the 9 is in the tens place and the value is 90 (9 tens). Work on this skill with your second grader so that the other math skills needed to succeed academically will come much easier as the school year progresses.

ADDITION & SUBTRACTION

Most likely, your child already knows how to add and subtract. Children as young as kindergarten are taught the basic skills associated with this math concept. Although your second grader might already have the basics, expect addition and subtraction problems to get more difficult this school year. Your child will be expected to add and subtract numbers up to 1,000 and sometimes more. If your child is facing some difficulties with math, you can  help him with an online math course by Brighterly. In order to be successful in this endeavor, your child will need to have mastered place value and will need to know how to borrow and carry over numbers.

MULTIPLICATION & DIVISION

To date, your child has probably completed basic multiplication and division math facts such as 2×2 or 10÷1. In second grade, multiplication and division get a little more serious. Your child’s teacher will start to teach how to divide a single set into smaller groups and how to use multiple groups to multiply. Your child will be able to use pictures and diagrams to help solve these difficult math problems (no long division yet), but second graders are expected to know when to multiply, when to divide, and the basic steps for each.

TIME & MONEY

Another important math skill you can expect to see your second grader learn has to do with time and money. Your child will need to know how to tell time on a clock, as well as the basics on adding an hour to the present time. For example, if the little hand on the clock is pointing to the 4, the big hand is pointing to the 2, and it is the afternoon, your child should be able to name the time as 4:10 PM. Your child should also be able to say that in one hour, it will be 5:10 PM. In addition to telling time, your child should be familiar with money. This includes knowing the value of different denominations (pennies, nickels, dollars) and knowing how to count a total amount of money. This can be difficult for your second grader, especially when carrying over is involved.

Math is an important skill your child will use for the rest of his or her life. The earlier you make math a priority for your child, the easier it will be to progress through school with success.