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Watch: Counting in 2s

Let's begin with a practical exercise involving counting in twos.

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Example 1

Here is number 7 on a number track.

A number line from 1 to 10, highlighting number 7 as significant.

How much is 2 more than 7?

How much is 2 less than 7?

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Example 2

Here is number 16 on a number track.

A number line from 11 to 20 where the number 16 is highlighted.

How much is 2 more than 16?

How much is 2 less than 16?

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Counting in pairs

Here is a pair of socks.

A pair of yellow socks.

There are 2 socks in a pair.

Can you count how many socks are below?

7 pairs of yellow socks.

Count them in twos:

2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14.

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A young girl pointing with a bubble saying top tip.

Top tip

Instead of counting up in twos, you can multiply by 2, which is a more efficient way of doing the same calculation.

Counting in twos gives you the two times table.

So, 7 pairs of shoes is the same as

7 x 2 = 14 shoes

A young girl pointing with a bubble saying top tip.
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Activity 1

Practise counting up in twos from 0 to 40.

02468101214161820
22242628303234363840

Remember, when counting in twos the last digit is always 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8.

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Activity 2

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More on Counting and ordering

Find out more by working through a topic