Odd and even numbers
Recognise odd and even numbers
Lesson
Set out your lesson
“Odd and even numbers means telling whether a whole number makes complete pairs. Even numbers pair up with none left over (8 → four pairs). Odd numbers leave one alone (9 → four pairs and one left). We will pair counters, name odd/even, then decide for numbers without lining up every object.”
Bring to the table
- About 20 large counters or small toys for pairing (parent keeps tiny pieces away from mouths)
- Paper and pencil
Extra for the adult
Worked example. 8 pairs evenly → even. 9 leaves one → odd. 14 ends in 4 → even; 15 ends in 5 → odd. Pairing and ones-digit patterns both support recognising odd and even.
Optional challenge. For Odd and even numbers, explain why 0 can be called even, then decide for 25 and 48 without counters. Optional: find three odd and three even numbers on a page number or calendar.
What to notice. Keep one parent note: numbers tried; odd/even labels; reasons given; whether pairing was used; support used. A photo of pairs alone does not show the child’s reason. This session samples a few numbers, not mastery of every case.
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Teaching approaches
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1 approach
Odd and even numbers means telling whether a whole number makes complete pairs. Even numbers pair up with none left over (8 → four pairs). Odd numbers leave one alone (9 → four pairs and one left). We will pair counters, name odd/even, then decide for numbers without lining up every object.
Spend about 10 minutes recognising odd and even numbers by pairing objects, writing a short sorted list, then checking fresh numbers by reasoning about the ones digit or leftovers.
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Learning resources
Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
Illustrative Mathematics · Practice link — not the full lesson
Red and Blue Tiles
Before you open · source notes
Red and blue tiles support noticing odd and even numbers. Not every divisibility rule for larger numbers.
Free, no sign-in. A teacher solution is on the same page, so use the student view with your child.
Before you openAsk the learner to pair tiles and say whether a total is odd or even.
Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.
Source, access and review notes
Public Illustrative Mathematics task page. The .html address responds HTTP 308 to this URL. An anonymous GET of this URL on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt. Where a teacher solution is present, it is on the same page as the student task; this check did not find a separate locked student view. An adult can use the student view section and should not read a solution aloud. Advertising was not observed in the fetched HTML text; that is not a browser, device, or ad-free guarantee. This is a paper or discussion task, not an automatically marked interactive game. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. Diagrams on the page use missing or filename-only alt text, so they are not an accessible image equivalent. Accessibility still depends on an adult describing the picture.
Illustrative Mathematics. “Red and Blue Tiles.” Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. External task; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute it.
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — link only
Check understanding
- Identify whether a given number is odd or even
- Explain that even numbers can be divided into 2 equal groups
- Spot the pattern: even numbers end in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8
“If you give your child a number like 37 or 84, can they quickly tell you whether it's odd or even — and explain how they know?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- Mathematics
- Domain
- Multiplication & Division
- Age range
- Ages 6–10
Standards