Measuring
Year 2 · Maths
Explore numbers, spot patterns and explain how you worked it out.
Choose a game
Take your time, try a game and collect stars.
Pounds and pence
Add up coins to make 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2 in different ways.
Play Pounds and penceChoosing units: cm, m, g, kg, ml and litres
Would you measure a bath in millilitres or litres? Pick the best unit in this
Play Choosing units: cm, m, g, kg, ml and litresTelling the time to five minutes
Quarter past, 20 to, 5 past: match each clock to its time in this
Play Telling the time to five minutes
Learning about measuring
These Year 2 Maths games practise Pounds and pence, Choosing units: cm, m, g, kg, ml and litres, Telling the time to five minutes. Choose a game above for a short activity, or explore the examples below before you play. The full guide for each game explains its controls, gives more examples and includes a free printable for practice away from the screen.
Talk it through
Use counters, a drawing or a number line before moving to a mental method. Ask your child to explain a choice, then change one number and try the method again.
Ask: “How could you show the same answer another way?” Give your child time to explain. Return to an example after playing and ask whether they would approach it differently.
Pounds and pence
Year 2 pupils learn to use the symbols £ and p, and to find different combinations of coins that make the same amount. There are many ways to make 20p: two 10p coins, a 10p and two 5p coins, or four 5p coins.
Try an example: What do 20p + 20p + 10p make?
20, 40, 50.
Show the answer
50p
What to look out for
Counting the number of coins instead of their value, so three coins is called 3p. Say the value of each coin as you touch it, then count on.
Choosing units: cm, m, g, kg, ml and litres
Year 2 pupils learn to choose and use standard units to measure length, mass, capacity and temperature: centimetres and metres for length, grams and kilograms for mass, millilitres and litres for capacity and degrees Celsius for temperature.
Try an example: Which unit would you use to measure the length of a pencil?
A pencil is a short length.
Show the answer
centimetres (cm)
What to look out for
Using a length unit for mass, such as measuring an apple in cm. Ask first: am I measuring how long, how heavy, or how much it holds?
Read the full Choosing units: cm, m, g, kg, ml and litres guide
Telling the time to five minutes
Year 2 pupils learn to tell the time to quarter past and quarter to the hour, and to five minutes. They need to know that the numbers on a clock face are 5 minutes apart for the minute hand.
Try an example: The minute hand points to 4. The hour hand is just past 2. What time is it?
4 is 20 minutes past.
Show the answer
20 past 2
What to look out for
Reading the minute hand on 4 as 4 minutes past. Count in fives from 12: 5, 10, 15, 20.
Practise away from the screen
- Give your child a handful of coins and ask them to make 50p in two different ways.
- Look at food packets and find the units: g, kg, ml or litres.
- Ask the time on an analogue clock at home several times a day.
Curriculum connections
These games support selected practice connected to Measurement in the National Curriculum in England. Use your school’s sequence to decide when to introduce and revisit each skill. A game covers selected examples, rather than assessing every requirement.
Questions families ask
Where should we start with measuring?
Start with Pounds and pence. Look at the worked example together, then try a round. If the task feels unfamiliar, use the full game guide or its free printable before trying again.
Does this cover everything taught at this level?
No. This page brings together the games currently available for this topic. It supports selected skills and does not replace the full programme of study or practical teaching.