What your child learns in Year 2 maths, English and science

Children in Year 2 will learn to add and subtract with two-digit and one-digit numbers. They will learn multiplication and division facts for the 2, 5 and 10 times tables.

Children will need to find 1/3, 1/4 1/2 and 3/4 of a shape or a quantity of objects. They will learn about measures, including weight, capacity, length and time (learning to tell the time to 5 minutes). They will learn to name and describe the properties of common 2D and 3D shapes.

Year 2 children carry out activities where they interpret and construct pictograms, tally charts, block graphs and tables.

A more detailed overview of the Year 2 maths curriculum is available in our parents' guide.

Review all of these new skills and concepts with our range of free Year 2 maths worksheets.

Children will build on their phonics work in Year 1 until they are reading words automatically, without having to sound out. They will continue to read a range of different stories, but also be introduced to non-fiction books. They will be able to apply the spelling rules they have learnt.

They will be more confident in their formation of letters and will learn how to start joining their handwriting. They will have plenty of practice writing stories and will also write some poetry.

They will be taught to use capital letters, full stops, exclamation marks and question marks correctly. They will also be encouraged to use sentences with two parts, joined by conjunctions such as when, if, that and because.

More details of the Year 2 English curriculum are in our year-group subject guide.

Download free Year 2 English worksheets to help your child develop their new grammar, spelling and writing knowledge.

Under the new 2014 curriculum, Year 2 will learn about:
 

• Living things and their habitats, including dependence within habitats and micro-habitats
• Plants, observing how seeds and bulbs grow into plants and what plants need to stay healthy
• Animals including humans, focussing on reproduction, nutrition and exercise
• Uses of everyday materials, comparing the use of everyday materials and looking how these can be changed by exerting force

While science isn’t part of the SATs exams your child will be given, it’s still important to make sure they understand what they’re being taught, so they’re ready to progress to the more detailed science lessons in Year 3.

Your child can reinforce the terms and processes they’re learning as part of the Year 2 science curriculum with free Year 2 science worksheets. Download them straight onto your computer, and print them off for your child to use.

Help your child prepare for SATs by working through free KS1 SATs papers. We have included the teachers' guide and instructions on marking the exams, so you can accurately assess how your child has done.

Have a look at what happens after Key Stage 1 SATs with our handy guides to the curriculum for Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6. You can also review what your child has already learned in Reception and Year 1.