Class 2 mental maths: fast, confident strategies
Mental maths is not about being fast for its own sake — it is about having a few reliable strategies so that simple sums stop needing paper. In Class 2 children learn to make ten, use doubles, and add tens in their head, and it frees them up to think about harder parts of a problem.
These strategies are the opposite of rote learning. A child who knows that 9 + 6 is "one more to make ten, then five more" understands what is happening — and that understanding is what makes them quick and calm under a little time pressure.
What your child needs to know
- Recall number bonds to 10 (such as 6 + 4, 7 + 3)
- Use the "make ten" strategy for sums that cross ten
- Know doubles up to 10 + 10, and use near doubles
- Add and subtract 10 from a number quickly
- Count on from the larger number
Worked examples
Work out 9 + 6 in your head.
Hint — make ten first: what does 9 need to reach 10?
9 needs 1 more to make 10, and that 1 comes from the 6, leaving 5. So 9 + 6 becomes 10 + 5 = 15.
What is double 7? And what is 7 + 8?
Hint — 7 + 8 is just one more than double 7.
Double 7 is 7 + 7 = 14. Then 7 + 8 is one more, so 15. Using a double you already know makes the near-double easy.
Work out 30 + 40 in your head.
Hint — add the tens: 3 tens and 4 tens.
3 tens + 4 tens = 7 tens, which is 70.
Work out 8 + 5 by counting on.
Hint — start at the bigger number and count on the smaller.
Start at 8 and count on 5: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. So 8 + 5 = 13.
How Olympiads test this
Olympiads such as SOF IMO and CREST CMO at Class 2 include quick number-bond and doubles questions, and items where adding or subtracting 10 mentally saves time. Because papers are timed, fluent mental strategies help a child work calmly rather than rushing. Short, regular practice — a few sums in the head each day — is the best preparation, and never a promise of a particular result.
Practice questions
Show 5 practice questions and answers
- 9 + 7 — 16
- Double 6 — 12
- 20 + 50 — 70
- 7 + 8 — 15
- 10 + 6 — 16
Inside Talyzo: World 13, Human Body
Mental maths is World 13, the final world, themed around the human body — heartbeats, fingers and quick reactions, a fitting place for fast thinking. As in every world, each question gives a hint before the answer and a full explanation after, so speed grows out of understanding, never guessing.
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