Multiplication starts long before times tables. In Year 1, children make equal groups, count in 2s, 5s and 10s, and discover doubling — the ideas that times tables are built on.
What your child will learn
- Recognise and make equal groups of objects
- Count in steps of 2, 5 and 10
- Find the total of several equal groups
- Double numbers up to 10
Equal groups
"3 groups of 2" is the Year 1 way of saying 3 × 2. Multiplication Mountain shows the groups as pictures so children can see why counting in 2s — 2, 4, 6 — gives the same answer as counting every object.
Counting in steps
Counting in 2s, 5s and 10s is a skill that pays off for years. Pairs of socks, fingers on hands and stacks of ten coins are all great real-life examples.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. True or false? 5 groups of 2 make 10.
Show answer
Answer: True. Count in 2s, 5 times: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. So 5 groups of 2 make 10.
2. How many are there in 4 groups of 2?
- 18
- 12
- 9
- 8
Show answer
Answer: 8. Count in 2s, 4 times: 2, 4, 6, 8. So 4 groups of 2 make 8.
3. How many are there in 2 groups of 2?
- 3
- 4
- 2
- 7
Show answer
Answer: 4. Count in 2s, 2 times: 2, 4. So 2 groups of 2 make 4.
Tips for grown-ups
- Count pairs of shoes in 2s and fingers in 5s.
- Chant counting patterns while climbing stairs or clapping.
- Double small numbers with a mirror: 3 buttons and their reflection make 6.