K-5 Math Skills by Grade: A Parent and Teacher Guide
Elementary math builds step by step. Each year adds new ideas on top of what came before, so a strong foundation in one grade makes the next grade easier. This guide gives a plain-language overview of the major math skills children usually work on in each grade from kindergarten through 5th grade. It follows the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, which many U.S. states use or have adapted. Your state or school may arrange topics a little differently, so check with your child's teacher if you are unsure. For each grade, we have linked free worksheets that practice those skills.
Kindergarten: counting and number sense
Kindergarten is all about understanding what numbers mean. Children learn to count to 100 by ones and tens, count groups of objects up to 20, write numbers from 0 to 20, and compare which group has more or less. They begin adding and subtracting within 10 using objects and drawings, and they learn that numbers from 11 to 19 are made of ten ones and some more ones. In geometry, they name shapes like circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, and hexagons, even when the shapes are turned or different sizes.
Practice: Count and Trace Numbers 1-10, Count to 20 With Ten-Frames, More or Less, Name the Shape, Shape Patterns.
1st grade: addition, subtraction and place value
First graders work toward fluency with addition and subtraction within 10 and use strategies like counting on and making ten to solve problems within 20. They learn that subtraction can be thought of as a missing addend problem. Place value becomes important: children learn that the two digits of a number like 46 stand for 4 tens and 6 ones, and they compare two-digit numbers. They count to 120, tell time to the hour and half hour, and measure lengths using objects.
Practice: Addition Within 10, Subtraction Within 10, Addition Within 20, Tens and Ones, Ordering Numbers to 120, Time to the Hour and Half Hour.
2nd grade: fluency within 100 and measurement
In second grade, children add and subtract fluently within 100, including problems that require regrouping, and they begin working with numbers up to 1,000. They skip count by 5s, 10s, and 100s, decide whether a group of objects is even or odd, and start to use arrays as a bridge to multiplication. Measurement grows too: children measure with rulers, tell time to the nearest five minutes, and solve problems with coins and dollar bills.
Practice: Two-Digit Addition With Regrouping, Two-Digit Subtraction With Regrouping, Skip Counting, Even or Odd, Telling Time to 5 Minutes, Counting Coins, Measuring in Inches.
3rd grade: multiplication, division and fractions
Third grade is a big year. Children learn what multiplication and division mean, solve word problems with equal groups and arrays, and by the end of the year are expected to know all products of two one-digit numbers from memory. Fractions are introduced as parts of a whole and as numbers on a number line. Children round numbers to the nearest 10 or 100, find area by counting square units and by multiplying, and solve problems about perimeter.
Practice: Multiplication Facts 2-5, Division Facts 2-5, Multiplication Word Problems, Identify Fractions, Rounding, Area on a Grid, Perimeter.
4th grade: multi-digit operations and fraction equivalence
Fourth graders work with larger numbers, reading and writing whole numbers into the millions and using place value to multiply up to four-digit numbers by one-digit numbers and to divide with remainders. They find factors and multiples and identify prime and composite numbers. In fractions, they generate equivalent fractions, compare fractions with different denominators, and begin adding fractions with like denominators. Geometry includes angles, lines, and classifying shapes by their properties.
Practice: Place Value to Millions, Multi-Digit Multiplication, Long Division, Factors and Multiples, Equivalent Fractions, Comparing Fractions, Classify Angles.
5th grade: fractions, decimals and volume
In fifth grade, children add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators, begin multiplying and dividing with fractions, and work with decimals to the hundredths place in all four operations. They write and evaluate expressions using parentheses and brackets, and they understand volume as the number of unit cubes that fill a solid, using formulas for rectangular prisms. They also graph points on a coordinate plane.
Practice: Adding Decimals, Multiplying Decimals by Whole Numbers, Adding Fractions With Unlike Denominators, Order of Operations, Volume of Rectangular Prisms.
How to use this guide
Think of these grade levels as a general map, not a strict schedule. Children often move faster in one area and need more time in another. If your child is struggling with a skill, look at the grade before to see whether a foundational idea needs more practice. If they are breezing through, a page from the next grade can be a fun challenge. Our guide to using worksheets at home without tears has tips for keeping practice positive.
The descriptions in this guide summarize the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics in everyday language. For the official wording, see the standards published by the Common Core State Standards Initiative, or ask your child's school which standards they follow.