Build an Array — Rows, Columns & Repeated Addition (Grade 2)
A free interactive Grade 2 math activity: build a rectangular array — equal rows — and find the total by repeated addition (4 + 4 + 4 = 12). Tap to fill the rows, watch the equal groups add up, then type how many in all. Common Core 2.OA.C.4.
A free interactive Grade 2 math activity: build a rectangular array — equal rows — and find the total by repeated addition (4 + 4 + 4 = 12). Tap to fill the rows, watch the equal groups add up, then type how many in all. Common Core 2.OA.C.4.
About this activity
Children build a rectangular array — equal rows lined up in columns — then find how many dots there are in all, in this free, interactive Grade 2 math activity that plays right in the browser with nothing to install and no sign-up. The rounds grow from a small 2-by-3 array up through 3-by-4, 2-by-5, 4-by-4, and 4-by-3, so the child fills tidy grids of different shapes.
The big idea is that a rectangle of equal rows can be added the fast way. As the child taps to fill each row, a repeated-addition strip builds underneath — 4 + 4 + 4 — so they see four counted three times rather than counting every dot one at a time. Then they type the total on the keypad. Seeing the rows line up as equal addends is exactly the bridge from addition into multiplication.
It is aligned to Common Core 2.OA.C.4 — using addition to find the total number of objects arranged in a rectangular array of rows and columns, and writing an equation to express the total as a sum of equal addends. No timer, no score — just calm, playful practice.
What's inside this activity
- Designed for Grade 2 learners (ages about 7–8)
- Common Core strand: Operations & Algebraic Thinking
- Aligned to Common Core standard 2.OA.C.4
How to play
Look at the array Bot needs — for example, 3 rows of 4 — and tap to fill in each row.
Watch the repeated-addition strip add the equal rows up, then type how many there are in all on the keypad.
Not quite? Try again as many times as you like — there is no timer and no score.
What your child practices
- Filling a rectangular grid as equal rows and columns
- Reading the array as repeated addition, such as 4 + 4 + 4 = 12
- Counting by equal groups instead of by ones to find a total
- Typing the total that matches the rows the child just built
Learning goals
Find the total in a rectangular array using repeated addition — the focus of Common Core 2.OA.C.4.
See equal rows as equal addends and write the matching sum.
Build the equal-groups foundation that multiplication grows out of in later grades.
Frequently asked questions
- What does the Build an Array — Rows, Columns & Repeated Addition (Grade 2) activity teach?
- Build an Array — Rows, Columns & Repeated Addition (Grade 2) is a free interactive activity for Grade 2, focused on Operations & Algebraic Thinking. Children play it right in the browser — no printing, login, or setup required.
- Is Build an Array — Rows, Columns & Repeated Addition (Grade 2) free to use?
- Yes. Build an Array — Rows, Columns & Repeated Addition (Grade 2) is completely free, with no signup and no paywall, on any tablet, laptop, or classroom whiteboard.
- Which ages is this activity for?
- It is designed for Grade 2 (Operations & Algebraic Thinking) and works well for whole-class, small-group, or independent practice.