Numbers are full of patterns. Counting in 2s, 5s and 10s, doubling and halving all help Year 1 children see how numbers fit together — and they are the first steps towards times tables.
What your child will learn
- Count on in 2s, 5s and 10s from different starting numbers
- Find the number missing from a counting pattern
- Double numbers to 10 and find half of even numbers to 20
- Say what the rule of a pattern is, such as “add 2 each time”
Find the jump
Every counting pattern has a rule. In 5, 10, 15, 20 the jump is 5 each time. To find a missing number, look at two numbers next to each other, work out the jump, then make the same jump again.
Counting in 10s is the easiest to spot: only the tens digit changes — 10, 20, 30, 40.
Doubles and halves
Doubling means adding a number to itself: double 4 is 4 + 4 = 8. Halving undoes it: half of 8 is 4. Knowing doubles by heart makes adding much quicker later on.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. Count in 2s: 30, 32, 34, 36, __
Show answer
Answer: 38. Each number is 2 more than the one before, so the missing number is 38.
2. Count in 10s: 10, 20, 30, 40, __
- 50
- 52
- 48
- 54
Show answer
Answer: 50. Each number is 10 more than the one before, so the missing number is 50.
3. Count in 2s: 34, 36, 38, __, 42
- 39
- 41
- 4
- 40
Show answer
Answer: 40. Each number is 2 more than the one before, so the missing number is 40.
Tips for grown-ups
- Count pairs of socks or shoes in 2s, and fingers on hands in 5s.
- Count 10 sen coins in 10s.
- Play “double it”: say a number up to 10 and take turns doubling it.