What Should a Child Know in Year 1 Maths?

Year 1 is where formal maths education begins in earnest. Children aged 5–6 move from the play-based learning of Reception into a structured curriculum — and the foundations built this year underpin everything that follows through Key Stage 1 and beyond.

Here is a clear breakdown of what your child should be covering in Year 1 maths, and some practical ways to support them at home.

Number and Place Value

The backbone of Year 1 maths is understanding numbers up to 100. Children learn to:

• Count to and across 100, both forwards and backwards
• Read and write numbers from 1 to 20 in numerals and words
• Count in multiples of 2, 5, and 10
• Identify one more and one less than a given number
• Use the language of more, fewer, less, equal to

At home, counting games are ideal at this age — counting objects around the house, counting steps on a walk, or spotting numbers on doors and signs all reinforce these skills naturally.

Addition and Subtraction

Year 1 children work with addition and subtraction within 20. They are expected to:

• Represent and use number bonds and related subtraction facts to 20
• Add and subtract one-digit and two-digit numbers to 20
• Solve simple one-step problems using objects, pictures, and numbers
• Understand the relationship between addition and subtraction

Number bonds (pairs that add up to a given total, such as 3 + 7 = 10) are particularly important. Children who can recall these quickly will find mental arithmetic much easier throughout primary school.

Multiplication and Division (Early Foundations)

Formal multiplication and division come later, but Year 1 lays the groundwork through grouping and sharing. Children begin to:

• Solve problems involving multiplication and division by grouping objects into equal groups
• Count in twos, fives, and tens — which prepares them for the 2, 5, and 10 times tables in Year 2

Sharing equally between friends is a great real-world way to introduce division — “You have 10 grapes; can you share them equally between 2 of you?”

Fractions

Year 1 introduces the concept of fractions simply: children learn to recognise, find and name ½ and ¼ as parts of an object, shape, or quantity. For example, folding a piece of paper in half, or sharing a pizza into four equal slices.

Keeping it visual and physical at this stage is much more effective than abstract notation.

Measurement and Geometry

Year 1 pupils also begin to explore the world around them mathematically:

• Measurement: comparing lengths, heights, weights, and capacities using language like taller, shorter, heavier, lighter
• Time: sequencing events (before, after, morning, afternoon) and reading the clock to the hour and half past
• Money: recognising coins and notes, combining amounts
• Shapes: naming common 2D shapes (circle, rectangle, triangle, square) and 3D shapes (cube, cuboid, sphere, cylinder)