Here are all of the key maths skills we will be developing throughout the year, which you may wish to practise at home!

Everyday maths (KS1)

Maths can be found in all sorts of areas at home! Here are some ways you might like to try and incorporate maths into your daily routines. 

Counting and number bonds

• Counting games: Count steps on the stairs, flowers in the garden, or toys on the floor. Use different objects to practise counting in 2s, 5s, and 10s.
• Number bond bingo: Have your child write down five numbers (under 10 for bonds to 10). Call out numbers, and they cross off the one that makes the bond. For example, if you say "7," they cross off "3".
• Number hunt: Look for numbers on doors, car number plates, and signs when you are out and about. 

Everyday addition and subtraction

• Shopkeeper role play: Use real or pretend coins to buy and sell items. This helps children understand money values and calculate change.
• Cooking and baking: Involve your child in measuring ingredients. Talk about quantities, and how to halve or double a recipe.
• Dominoes: Use dominoes to practise basic addition. The child adds the dots on each side to find the total.
• Skittles or bowling: Set up empty bottles as skittles and roll a ball. When bottles are knocked over, the child adds up the points written on them. 

Shapes and measurements

• Shape hunt: Look for 2D and 3D shapes around the house or on a walk. Ask your child to name and describe them.
• Junk modelling: Use cardboard boxes, tubes, and containers to create models. Ask your child to identify the different shapes they are using.
• Measuring fun: Compare the height of family members, or use different objects like hands or shoes to measure the length of a room. Talk about the concepts of taller, shorter, heavier, and lighter.
• Sorting laundry: Ask your child to sort socks into pairs. This helps with counting in twos, as well as matching and pattern recognition. 

Time and patterns

• Telling the time: Use an analogue clock to practise o'clock, half past, quarter past, and quarter to. For a craft activity, you can make a paper plate clock.
• Daily routine: Talk about the daily routine and use time-related language, such as "in the morning," "tonight," "next," and "after that".
• Create patterns: Use beads, blocks, or items collected from outdoors (like leaves and stones) to make repeating patterns. 

Recommended websites and apps

• BBC Bitesize: Offers free online games for KS1 maths topics, including "Karate Cats Maths" and "The Canine Crew: Measuring Mass".
• Twinkl Go!: Provides interactive maths games, worksheets, and resources covering topics like number bonds, shape, and money.
• ICT Games: Features many free educational games for Key Stage 1 that cover a range of mathematical concepts.
• Topmarks: A website with interactive games for all primary school ages. Use the "search" function for KS1 maths
• Numbots & Times Table Rockstars: Use your Numbots login to work through the levels and practise all your key number facts. In Year 2, we start learning our 2, 5 and 10 times tables so Times Table Rockstars is a great way to practise this!

Arithmetic Skills

You may also like to have a go at some of the arithmetic questions below to develop your child's key maths skills!