Summary
Chapter 3 of the Class 2 Maths NCERT textbook (Joyful Mathematics), "Fun with Numbers", teaches children to count, place numbers on a ginladi and number line, skip count forward and backward in twos, threes, fives, sevens, and tens, find patterns in a number chart, and explore number relationships through hands-on games and activities.
- Ginladi and Number Placement — Children use a ginladi (a bead string) to count beads and find numbers up to 99. They write numbers on blank cards and place number cards for given numbers such as 38, 44, 58, 65, and 98 on the ginladi.
- Number Line – Forward and Backward Jumps — A number strip shows animals like a butterfly, honey bee, squirrel, and frog moving forward or backward by a given number of steps. Children work out where each animal lands by counting steps forward and backward on the number line.
- Skip Counting and Patterns — Children practise skip counting in twos, threes, fives, sevens, and tens, both forward and backward, to complete number patterns such as 1, 4, 7, ___ (skip of 3) or 40, 45, 50, ___ (skip of 5). They also jump on a physical number line on the ground to find whether a target number will be reached from a starting point.
- Patterns in the Number Chart — A 1–100 number chart is used to spot patterns — numbers that come just before a multiple of ten, diagonal sequences like 1, 12, 23, 34…, and how a number window placed on the chart reveals numbers that are 1 more, 1 less, 10 more, and 10 less than the centre number.
- Games – Guess My Number and Bingo — In 'Guess My Number', one child thinks of a number and others ask up to ten yes/no questions (e.g. 'Is it more than 50?') to identify it. In 'Bingo', children fill a 3×4 grid with numbers from 2 to 12 and cross them off as the sum of two dice is called out.
Key points & formulas
- 01The ginladi is a bead string used to count beads and identify numbers up to 99.
- 02Children place number cards for numbers like 38, 44, 58, 65, and 98 on the ginladi.
- 03A number strip activity uses animals (butterfly, honey bee, squirrel, frog) to practise counting forward and backward steps.
- 04Skip counting patterns are explored in twos, threes, fives, sevens, and tens using a 1–100 number chart.
- 05Backward skip patterns include sequences like 40, 37, 34 (skip of 3 back) and 70, 65, 60 (skip of 5 back).
- 06The number window activity shows that the number above is 10 less, the number below is 10 more, and left/right differ by 1.
- 07The Bingo game uses two dice and sums from 2 to 12, played on a 3×4 grid filled with chosen numbers.
Frequently asked questions
01What is a ginladi in Chapter 3 of Class 2 Maths?
A ginladi is a bead string used to count beads and read numbers. Children count the beads on blank cards and also place given number cards such as 38, 44, 58, 65, and 98 on the ginladi.
02What animals appear in the number strip activity?
The number strip activity features a butterfly, a honey bee, a squirrel, and a frog. Each animal moves a certain number of steps forward or backward on the strip, and children work out the number where each animal lands.
03What is skip counting in twos?
Skip counting in twos means jumping from one number to the next by adding 2 each time, for example 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. Children mark these numbers on the 1–100 chart and also jump on a number line drawn on the ground.
04What pattern does the sequence 1, 4, 7 follow?
The sequence 1, 4, 7 follows a skip-counting pattern of adding 3 each time. Children continue the pattern by finding the next numbers: 10, 13, 16, and so on.
05What does the 'Guess My Number' game involve?
One child thinks of a number, and the other children ask questions that can only be answered with yes or no, such as 'Is it more than 50?' or 'Does it have zero as a digit?' They have a maximum of ten questions to guess the number.
06How is Bingo played in this chapter?
Children make a 3×4 grid and fill it with any numbers from 2 to 12, with repeats allowed. One child throws two dice and calls out the sum; others cross that number on their grid. The first to cross all numbers wins.
07What is the number window activity?
A number window is a small frame placed on the 1–100 number chart. The number directly above the centre is 10 less, the number below is 10 more, the number to the right is 1 more, and the number to the left is 1 less than the centre number.
08What backward skip patterns does the chapter include?
The chapter includes backward patterns such as 40, 37, 34 (going back in threes), 70, 65, 60 (going back in fives), 100, 90, 80 (going back in tens), and 100, 80, 60 (going back in twenties).
09What is the pattern 1, 12, 23 on the number chart?
The numbers 1, 12, 23 are coloured green on the chart and increase by 11 each time. Children continue the pattern to see that it forms a diagonal line going down and to the right on the 1–100 chart.
10If you start from 10 and skip count in tens, will you land on 100?
Yes. Starting from 10 and counting in tens gives 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, so you will land on 100.
11If you start from 4 and skip count in twos, will you reach 17?
No. Starting from 4 and counting in twos gives 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 — all even numbers. Since 17 is odd, you will never land on it.
12What is the 'Exploring Patterns' activity about?
Children observe how blocks arrange into triangular (1, 3, 6) and square (1, 4, 9) shapes as the pattern grows and are asked to extend the pattern by drawing the next arrangement.
13What does 'skip in fives and sevens' mean?
It means marking numbers reached by counting in fives (5, 10, 15, 20…) and separately in sevens (7, 14, 21, 28…) on the chart, then finding which numbers appear in both lists.
14How does Mala count backward from 20 to 0?
Mala counts each number one by one going down: 20, 19, 18, …, 1, 0. It takes 20 steps to reach 0 from 20 when counting backward by ones.
More chapters in Joyful Mathematics
Read Chapter 3 of Joyful Mathematics, the Class 2 Mathematics NCERT textbook (2026-27 edition), online for free: the complete chapter as published by NCERT with every diagram, solved example and exercise, with step-by-step solutions, answers and revision notes. Open the NCERT PDF above, or browse all NCERT Class 2 textbooks.
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