Free printable odd and even numbers chart

Grades K–2Which numbers pair up neatly and which have one left over, how to tell from the last digit, and what happens when you add or multiply them. Print it for the wall, or pair up counters yourself below.

Odd and Even Numbers math chart for kids Tap the chart to open it at full size

Pair them up and see

Change the number of counters and watch them pair off. If every counter has a partner the number is even. If one is left standing on its own, it is odd — and it turns orange so it is easy to spot.

That is the actual definition, and it is worth meeting before the last-digit shortcut. A child who has watched seven counters pair into three couples with one left over understands odd; a child who only knows it ends in 7 has memorized a rule.

Try zero. Nothing is left over, so zero is even — which surprises almost everyone the first time. It also has to be, because odd and even alternate perfectly and one is odd.

How many counters

Try

  • even + eveneven4 + 6 = 10
  • odd + oddeven5 + 7 = 12
  • even + oddodd4 + 7 = 11
  • even × eveneven4 × 6 = 24
  • even × oddeven4 × 7 = 28
  • odd × oddodd5 × 7 = 35
7 is
odd
How you can tell
One counter has no partner. It also ends in 7, and 7 is an odd digit.

Pair them up. If one is left over on its own, the number is odd.

How to use this odd and even chart at home

Use actual objects before any rule. Grapes, buttons, socks. Ask whether they can be shared fairly between two people with nothing left. That question is the definition, and children can answer it long before they can read the word even.

Then find the last-digit shortcut together rather than announcing it. Pair up 12, then 22, then 32, and ask what they notice. A rule a child spots is a rule they keep.

Socks and shoes are the everyday version. Pairs of things are everywhere, and pointing out that you never have an odd number of shoes on is a joke a five-year-old will enjoy and remember.

Why the last digit is enough

It looks like a trick that a number as large as 3,478 can be judged by its final 8 alone. It is not — every digit before the last one contributes a multiple of ten, and every multiple of ten is even.

So 3,478 is 3,470 plus 8. The 3,470 part is certainly even, because tens always pair up. Whether the whole thing is even therefore depends entirely on the 8.

That explanation is a bit much for Kindergarten, but it is exactly right for a Grade 3 child who asks why, and it is worth having ready rather than saying that is just the rule.

The rules for adding and multiplying

Two evens add to an even, because neither had anything spare. Two odds also add to an even, because the two spares pair up with each other. One of each gives an odd, because the single spare has nobody to pair with.

Multiplying is simpler: the answer is odd only when both numbers are odd. Any even number in the multiplication makes the whole thing even, because you are making groups that each pair up.

These are worth demonstrating with counters rather than memorizing. A child who lays out 5 and 7 and watches the two spares find each other will never need to be told that odd plus odd is even.

Where odd and even usually go wrong

Thinking zero is odd, or that it is neither. It is even, and the pairing test shows why.

Checking the wrong digit on a long number. Only the final digit matters, however many come before it.

Assuming odd means unusual. The everyday meaning of the word gets in the way, and it is worth saying that odd here just means one left over.

Guessing that odd plus odd is odd. It is the most natural guess and it is wrong, which makes it the rule most worth demonstrating physically.

After the chart goes up

A chart explains the idea but gives a child nothing to do. These do the rest.

Everything at this level: Kindergarten math · Grade 1 math · Grade 2 math

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Questions parents ask

What is an even number?

A number that splits into pairs with nothing left over. Six is even because it makes three pairs. Even numbers are the ones you can share fairly between two people, which is a definition children can test with counters rather than take on trust.

What is an odd number?

A number that leaves one over when you pair it up. Seven makes three pairs and one lonely counter. Sharing an odd number of things between two people always leaves one in the middle, which children discover long before anyone teaches them the word.

How can you tell if a number is odd or even?

Look at the last digit only. If it ends in 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8 the number is even; 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9 means odd. It works for any size of number — 4,738 is even because of the 8, and nothing else in the number matters.

Is zero an even number?

Yes. Zero counters leaves nothing over when you pair them, so it fits the definition. It also has to be even for the alternating pattern to work, since one is odd and the numbers take turns. Children and quite a few adults find this counter-intuitive.

What happens when you add two odd numbers?

You get an even number. Each odd number has one spare, and the two spares pair up with each other. 5 + 7 = 12. This is much more convincing demonstrated with counters than stated as a rule, and it is the clearest example of why the pairing picture is worth building first.

What grade is this odd and even chart for?

Kindergarten through Grade 2. Sorting objects into pairs comes first, the last-digit rule around Grade 1 or 2, and the rules about adding and multiplying odds and evens by Grade 2 or 3.

Is this odd and even numbers chart free to print?

Yes. Open it full size and print as many copies as you need for home or a classroom, with no account and no watermark. Reselling it or re-hosting the file elsewhere is not allowed — link to this page instead.