First things first: the curriculum is a corridor, not a race. Children reach the same milestones at different times, and a topic that wobbles in March can be solid by June. Still, it helps enormously to know which skills carry grade 2 — because a few of them are the foundation for everything that follows.
Here are the core topics, each with a one-sentence check you can do casually over dinner. No test, no pressure — just an honest picture.
Numbers to 100: ordering and comparing
The basis of everything: your child should move confidently in the range up to 100 — ordering numbers by size, naming neighbours, spotting the bigger of two numbers.
The check: “Which number sits exactly halfway between 47 and 53?” Or simply: “Which is bigger — 68 or 86?” A prompt, confident answer means the foundation stands.
Addition and subtraction — first without, then with crossing ten
Problems like 23 + 14 or 47 − 23, where no tens boundary is crossed, should run fluently by the end of grade 2. The real milestone is crossing ten: 37 + 25, 62 − 27. This is where it shows whether your child understands numbers as quantities or shuffles digits as symbols.
The check: “What's 37 plus 25?” What matters is less whether the answer is right than how it comes about. If your child audibly computes in steps (“37 plus 3 is 40, then 22 more …”), that's an excellent sign — exactly how it should work.
Times tables: 2s, 5s, 10s solid
By summer the 2s, 5s and 10s should be securely recallable; the 3s and 4s are usually introduced but not yet automatic — that's completely normal and belongs to grade 3.
The check: “5 times 6?” Answer in about three seconds, without counting up: solid. If your child counts (5, 10, 15 …), the structure is understood but recall isn't automatic yet — practice helps, see our 10-minute plan.
Doubling and halving
Underrated but powerful: double 36, half of 84. This skill later carries mental strategies for bigger numbers and keeps the times tables flexible.
The check: “What's double 45?” — and the counter-check: “And half of 90?”
What is NOT expected
Just as important: column arithmetic with carrying, the extended times tables and fractions belong to later grades. If your child can't do them yet, nothing is missing. Pressure here does more harm than good.
If something wobbles: close the gap without drama
A wobbly topic isn't an alarm — it's information. The formula that works: ten minutes a day, one single topic, accuracy before speed. Four consistent weeks close most grade-2 gaps.
If you want to know precisely where your child stands: our 5-minute check asks exactly these core topics and turns the result into a workbook that starts in the right places. No sign-up, straight from the kitchen table.