Statistics

In Year 2, we will learn to draw simple charts and graphs. We will be able to sort categories by their quantities and will be able to compare sets of data.

There are lots of everyday ways you can help your child to understand statistics. Here are just a few ideas.

Present data

In school, your child will be learning to present data with simple tables, pictograms, tally charts and block graphs.  You can encourage your child at home by having them investigate topics that particularly interest them and then present their data in tables, charts, and graphs.  For instance, your child could collect information about the planets in our solar system, favourite book characters or football. See if they can create their own tables, charts and graphs to represent the data in new and interesting ways.  For example, they could compare football players by goals scored so far this season.  They can record their findings using tables and present them with pictograms or block graphs.  Your child might need extra help when it comes to creating block graphs. Block graphs show types of items on the x-axis, the number of items on the y-axis and have one block representing each item:

Once your child has practised lots of different ways of showing data they should be able to pick when it is best to use a block graph and when it is best to use a different method. They should be able to explain why.

Conduct a survey

If your child would prefer to gather their own data, why not do a survey? They could ask family and friends about their favourite food, film, sport or anything else that takes their fancy.  Encourage them to analyse their data and discuss any interesting findings.  For example, did lots of people have the same favourite food? How many more people chose the most popular choice compared to the least popular choice?  Ask questions about the data they have found and encourage them to begin asking their own questions, such as, ‘If I asked this question at school, would I get different results?’

Interpret data

You can help your child learn to interpret data in the form of tables, pictograms, tally charts and block graphs by encouraging them to explore interesting topics.  For example, if your child is interested in football, encourage them to interpret football team statistics in tables, charts, and graphs. You can find lots of examples online and in football magazines.  Look at non-fiction texts together. Can your child find any data presented in interesting ways?  Encourage them to chat about the data they find and point out anything they would not have expected.