Kangaroo-Style Math Practice, Grades 1-2, Set 1

About this practice set

Six original contest-style math problems for grades 1-2 with answer choices A to E, worth 3, 4 and 5 points, plus an answer key that explains every solution. Topics: calendar, logic, patterns, time, working backwards. The problems are written for grades 1 and 2 and lean on pictures and small numbers. After checking answers, try to explain each solution in your own words.

On this sheet

two are worth 3 points, the next two 4 points and the last two 5 points. The clock shows the time a picnic starts. The picnic lasts 4 hours. What time does it end? Today is Saturday. What day of the week will it be in 5 days? (A) Wednesday (B) Friday (C) Sunday (D) Thursday (E) Saturday I think of a number. When I add 8, I get 16. What is my number? How many matchsticks were used to make this picture? Same shapes stand for the same number.

Tips for using it

• Give about 3 to 4 minutes per problem, like in a real contest.
• Read every problem twice: contest questions often hide the key detail in one word.
• Draw a picture or a table when a problem has many steps.
• Check the answer choices: sometimes testing them is faster than solving from scratch.

Printing tips

Download the PDF and print at 100% (or “fit to page” on A4). Page 1 is the practice set and page 2 is the answer key with the answers in red; print just page 1 if you want to keep the answers for checking. The PNG shows page 1 only. Free for personal, family and classroom use.