How to make it
- Choose the operationsAddition and subtraction mixed is preselected, the way second grade practice usually looks. Pick one operation for a child who needs to firm it up first.
- Choose the number rangeNumbers up to 20 suits most of the year. Up to 10 is a warm-up for September; for two-digit column work, open the addition or subtraction maker.
- Print thirty problems and the keyPress Print or Download PDF. The key follows on its own page with every answer in pink, ready for a quick check or self-marking.
The second grade year in math
Second grade asks children to add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies and, by the end of the year, to know all sums of two one-digit numbers from memory (CCSS 2.OA.B.2). The same skill then carries into bigger numbers: fluently adding and subtracting within 100 (CCSS 2.NBT.B.5) and, with drawings and place value, within 1000 (CCSS 2.NBT.B.7).
Place value grows to hundreds, so children read and write numbers to 1000 and see that 352 is 3 hundreds, 5 tens and 2 ones (CCSS 2.NBT.A.1 and 2.NBT.A.3). Time moves to the nearest five minutes (CCSS 2.MD.C.7), money problems with dollars and coins appear (CCSS 2.MD.C.8), and the number line becomes a tool for showing sums and differences (CCSS 2.MD.B.6). Second grade math worksheets for each of these are one click away from this page.
What this sheet practices
The preset prints thirty problems written across the page, mixing addition and subtraction with numbers up to 20. Addends go up to 20, so a sum can reach 40, and subtraction never goes below zero. Because the numbers stay small enough to hold in the head, the sheet is practice for mental strategies rather than for the column method, and the standard printed on it is CCSS 2.NBT.B.5, adding and subtracting within 100.
If you want the facts alone, the strict 2.OA.B.2 goal of sums of two one-digit numbers, set Numbers up to 10. For written column work with regrouping, the dedicated addition worksheets and subtraction worksheets let you choose two or three digits and whether problems need regrouping, which is the main written skill of the year.
Strategies worth naming
Second graders who are quick with facts usually use a handful of strategies, and naming them helps the rest of the class. Making ten turns 8 + 5 into 8 + 2 + 3. Near doubles turn 7 + 8 into 7 + 7 + 1. Thinking addition turns 15 − 9 into the question of what goes with 9 to make 15. Counting back works for subtracting 1, 2 or 3 and is slow for anything bigger.
A mixed sheet is a good place to see which strategies a child has. Ask them to talk through three problems aloud, then circle any problem on the key that took more than a few seconds. Two or three circled facts a week are a sensible target; practicing the same few until they stick does more than another full page of the ones already known.
Free 2nd grade math worksheets for the rest of the year
Each topic has its own generator with an answer key, and a few settings match second grade closely. For time, use clock worksheets at five minutes, with read the clock first and draw the hands later. For money, the US coins option on counting money worksheets uses pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and the dollar coin. For place value, the place value maker with 3 digits asks for the value of an underlined digit or for expanded form.
Number lines counting by 5s, 10s or 100s give second graders a picture of skip-counting, which leads straight into the arrays and equal groups of third grade. Teachers looking for math worksheets for 2nd grade that cover a whole unit can print one sheet from each of these on the same morning: one fact page, one time page and one money page, each with its own key.
| Second grade goal | Generator | Setting |
|---|---|---|
| Facts within 20 | this page | numbers up to 10 or 20 |
| Add within 100 and 1000 | Addition | 2 or 3 digits, regrouping mixed |
| Subtract within 100 and 1000 | Subtraction | 2 or 3 digits, borrowing mixed |
| Time to five minutes | Telling time | 5 minutes |
| Coins and dollars | Counting money | US coins |
| Place value to 1000 | Place value | 3 digits |
Timing, scores and a calm routine
Timed fact sheets are common in second grade and divide opinion. If you time, time against the child's own last score rather than the class, and keep the sheet short enough to finish. A good habit is the same thirty problems twice in a week: print a sheet on Monday, write its Sheet number on the back, and reprint it from that number on Friday. The improvement is easy to see and belongs to the child.
For homework, ten to fifteen problems is usually enough at this age; set How many in More options. A sheet that ends with a few easy problems sends a child to bed feeling finished, not defeated, so it is fine to lower the range for the last week of a unit.
Year 3 in England, Year 2 in Australia
US second graders are about seven to eight years old, the same age as Year 3 in England and Year 2 in Australia. The fact goals are close in all three, and the sheet works the same way; the Common Core code prints only for American browsers.
If the facts are secure, the step after this sheet is multiplication: 3rd grade math worksheets begin with multiplication and division facts within 100. A child who still needs the basics of addition and subtraction within 10 will do better with the big-print 1st grade math worksheets for a few weeks first.
Questions
What math does a second grader learn?
Most US second graders learn to add and subtract within 20 from memory, add and subtract within 100 fluently and within 1000 with place value, read and write numbers to 1000, tell time to five minutes, count money and use number lines. The order changes from school to school, so follow the class.
Are these 2nd grade math worksheets printable for free?
Yes. Print the sheet or save it as a PDF as often as you like, with the answer key, no account and no watermark. New variant gives a fresh set of thirty problems with the same settings, so every day of the week can have its own page.
How do I make the problems harder?
Raise Numbers up to, or switch to the addition and subtraction makers for two- and three-digit column problems with regrouping. Those pages let you choose the number of digits and whether regrouping is always, never or sometimes needed.
Can the problems be written in columns?
The mixed sheet writes problems across the page, which suits mental strategies. For vertical column problems, open the addition or subtraction generator, where Layout offers vertical and horizontal and the key shows answers in the same position.
How many problems should a second grader do?
Thirty is a full practice page, which is the preset. For homework or a warm-up, ten to fifteen is enough; set How many in More options. Short, regular practice helps the facts stick better than an occasional long sheet.
Does the sheet work for UK or Australian classes?
Yes. The problems are the same, the paper switches to A4 outside the US, and the US standard code is left off. US second grade matches Year 3 in England and Year 2 in Australia by age.
Common Core State Standards: © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.