Watch: How to count in 2s
Let's begin with a practical exercise involving counting in twos.
For more help and advice with Maths watch this Teacher Talk video.
Example 1
Here is number 7 on a number track.
How much is 2 more than 7?
How much is 2 less than 7?
9 is 2 more than 7.
5 is 2 less than 7.
Example 2
Here is number 16 on a number track.
How much is 2 more than 16?
How much is 2 less than 16?
18 is 2 more than 16.
14 is 2 less than 16.
Counting in pairs
There are 2 shoes in a pair.
Can you count how many shoes there are below?
Count them in twos:
2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14.
Top tip
Instead of counting up in twos, you can multiply by 2, which is a more efficient way of doing the same calculation.
Counting in twos gives you the two times table.
So, 7 pairs of shoes is the same as
7 x 2 = 14 shoes
Activity 1
Practise counting up in twos from 0 to 40.
0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 |
22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 40 |
Remember, when counting in twos the last digit is always 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8.
Activity 2
Karate Cats Maths game. gameKarate Cats Maths game
Train with the Karate Cats to become an expert in addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, place value and more!
More on Multiplying and dividing
Find out more by working through a topic
- count5 of 36
- count6 of 36
- count7 of 36
- count8 of 36