Odd and Even Numbers

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These odd and even number activities help kids learn how to identify odd and even numbers.

Introducing Odd and Even Numbers

One of my favorite ways to introduce kids to odd and even numbers is lining up. Explain that if there is an odd number of kids at school, then one person will not have a partner. If there is an even number, then everyone will have a partner.

Where possible try to think of examples that kids can relate to such as the infamous odd sock!

Odd and Even Number Activities

Class Sort

Using the word cards for support, tell the children that they can spot an odd or even number by looking at the last digit. An even number always ends in either 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8, whereas an odd number always ends in 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9. To begin this activity, lay out the odd and even number headings. Then grab a pile of odd and even numbers (I made numbers 0 to 100). Get the kids to look at the last digit of each number and then place each number under the appropriate heading.

Sorting Worksheet

Kids need to cut out the numbers and look at the last number to determine if it is odd or even. Then they need to paste the numbers in the appropriate section – Odd Todd or Even Steven.

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Identifying Odd and Even Number Patterns

I made a variety of visual supports to help kids identify odd and even numbers easily. There are posters and also cards with color coded borders. Odd Todd and the odd numbers are green themed, whereas Even Steven and the even numbers are blue themed.

If you lay out the number cards in order, for example from 0 – 10, kids can observe the pattern that occurs: odd number, even number, odd number, even number… etc. Kids can explore the pattern of odd and even numbers further by looking at a hundreds chart.

Hundreds Chart Worksheet

Kids need to use two different colors to highlight all of the odd and even numbers. At the end of the activity, ask the kids what they noticed.  For example, they might observe that every second number is odd or that all the numbers that end in 2 are even.

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Addition Investigation – Odd and Even Numbers

One other activity I love to do when teaching odd and even numbers is to get kids to explore what happens when we add numbers together. I encourage kids to find out the answers to these questions:

What happens when two even numbers are added together?
What happens when two odd numbers are added together?
What happens when an odd and an even number are added together?

It’s quite interesting for them to discover that two odd numbers make an even number! This relates quite well to the concept of doubles 3+3 = 6, 5 + 5 = 10 etc.

How To Investigate…

Provide kids with counters, an erasable marker, two dice and an addition mat. Kids need to roll the dice and say if the numbers are odd or even. Then they need to use counters to model the addition problem and an erasable marker to write the number sentence. When they have an answer, they need to say what the result is. For example, 3 + 4 = 7, “I added an even and odd number together and got an odd number!”. But this isn’t always the case with adding odd and even numbers. For example, 5 +3 = 8, so in this case the result was an even number!  It is fun for kids to explore what happens when they add different numbers. They can even learn to predict whether the result will be odd or even :)!

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Happy teaching :)!

To find out more about these activities click here. Additional activities are included in the following pack.

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