Let’s Learn Prime Numbers For Kids To Improve Math Skills

Certain numbers cannot be divided evenly. These numbers can be identified as prime numbers. In this article, we will talk about what are prime numbers in maths in detail, why children should learn prime numbers and tips to memorise them.

We have also mentioned some activities on prime numbers in English that will help kids to identify these numbers easily. These are some fabulous methods to teach prime numbers to kids. These hands-on method will get your little one engaged and thinking as they explore the concept of prime numbers.

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Why Your Child Needs To Learn Prime Numbers?

Read the following reasons to know why your child should learn about prime numbers:

• They are the building blocks of natural numbers.
• They are constantly used to solve the mathematical problem.
• They help in learning and understanding certain mathematical concepts.

What Is A Prime Number?

Here is the prime number definition for kids.

Numbers that are greater than 1 and have only two factors, 1 and the number itself, are called prime numbers. To make it easy to understand, these numbers cannot be divided by any other number except 1 and the number itself without leaving a remainder.

Example: 2, 3, 5,7, etc.

When Do Kids Start Learning About Prime Numbers?

Children start learning about prime numbers when:

• When they enter grade 4.
• When your child shows interest and signs of learning more.
• When you feel that your child is ready to understand the concept of prime numbers.

Prime Number Chart For Kids

There are several prime numbers. These numbers have only two factors which are 1 and the number itself. Here is the chart of prime numbers up to 100 that you can use to teach your little one.

Tips And Tricks To Learn And Memorise Prime Number For Kids

Looking for ways to teach prime numbers to your child? Here are some easy tips to remember prime numbers. Let’s read the prime number tricks below.

• The prime numbers between 11 to 40: Consider the numbers ending with 1, 3, 7 or 9. Add the digits. The number is not a prime number if the sum is divisible by 3.
  Example: 11 = 1+1 = 2.
  2 is not divisible by 3. Hence 11 is a prime number.
• 2 is the only even number that is also a prime number. Except 2, all other prime numbers are odd.
  Example: 3, 5, 11, 17, etc., are all odd numbers that are prime numbers.
• Two prime numbers are always co-prime to each other. This means that every prime number has only two factors – 1 and the number itself, so the only common factor of two prime numbers will be 1.
  Example: Factors of 7 are 1 and 7.

Simple Questions To Help Kids Revise The Prime Number

Here are some prime numbers questions for children to practise.

• Pick out the prime numbers from the following numbers.
  13, 49, 48, 23, 74, 80, 71, 59, 45, 47
  Answer: 13, 23, 71, 59, 47
• List down the prime numbers between 20 and 30.
  Answer: The prime numbers between 20 and 30 are – 23 and 29.
• Which of the following is not a prime number?
  61, 83, 71, 81.
  Answer: 81. Rest of the numbers have only 2 factors – 1 and themselves.
• How many prime numbers are there between 40 and 50?
  Answer: There 3 prime numbers between 40 and 50 – 41, 43 and 47.
• Which of the following pairs of numbers is coprime?
  7 & 14
  15 & 27
  25 & 35
  8 & 55
  Answer: 8 & 55. Co-prime numbers have only 1 as their common factor. The common factor of 8 and 55 is 1.
• List down the first 10 prime numbers.
  Answer: The first 10 prime numbers are – 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29.
• Is the number 13 a prime number?
  Answer: 13 is divisible only by 1 and 13. So Yes, 13 is a prime number.

Word Problems On Prime Number For Kids

There is a saying that “practice makes a man perfect.” The more you practice, the more perfect you will become at a particular task. So here we have some word problems on prime numbers for kids to practice.

1. Four students wrote down a number between 30 and 40. The list shows the numbers they wrote:

Alex – 35
Javed – 39
Mark – 37
Penny- 33
Which student wrote down a prime number?

Answer: Mark

2. Ella thinks of two prime numbers. She adds the two numbers together. The answer is 36. Write all the possible pairs of prime numbers Ella could be thinking of.

Answer: 3 & 33, 5 & 31, 7 & 29, 13 & 23, 17 & 19

3. The runners in a race all wore numbers from 20 to 60. The number on Aman’s shirt was a prime number. Which of the following could not be Aman’s number?
51, 47, 29, 23

Answer: 51, as it is not a prime number.

4. What is the sum of the first seven prime numbers divided by 2?

Answer: First seven prime numbers are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17
Sum of first seven prime numbers = 2+3+5+7+11+13+17 = 58
58 divided by 2 = 58/2 = 29.
So, the sum of the first seven prime numbers divided by 2 is equal to 29.

Interesting Facts About Prime Numbers For Kids

Here are some interesting facts about prime numbers:

• 1 and 0 are not prime numbers because you can’t divide 0 by anything, and 1 can only be divided by itself.
• The number 2 is the only even prime number.
• There are infinite prime numbers.
• No prime number greater than 5 ends in a 5.
• Prime numbers are used to protect us from cyber crime.
• Every even integer greater than 2 can be expressed as the sum of two primes.
• The number 1 used to be considered a prime number, but it generally isn’t anymore.

Activities To Teach Your Kids Prime Numbers

Here are some activities to teach your child prime numbers.

1. Colour The Prime Numbers

On sheet with square boxes, write down numbers 1 to 100. Ask your child to identify all the prime numbers between 1 and 100 and colour all them with their favourite colour.

2. Prime Number Song

Here is a song to teach your little one prime number up to 100:

A PRIME NUMBER…..is divided by
JUST ITSELF…… AND THE NUMBER ONE…..
A PRIME NUMBER….Oh they’re lots of fun….
Oh!!! We love our PRIME NUMBERS!

2, 3, 5 and 7
11 and 13
17, 19, 23……
Oh!!! We love our PRIME NUMBERS!!!

29 and 31
37 and 41
43, 47, 53
Oh!!! We love our PRIME NUMBERS!!!

59 and 61
67 and 71
Oh……PRIME NUMBERS…. are alot of fun!!
Oh!!!! We love our PRIME NUMBERS!!!

73 and 79
83 and 89
97………
Oh that’s all that’s left
In PRIME NUMBERS to 100!!!

3. Playing Cards

Children love playing with cards, and here is how to teach them prime numbers up to 13 using cards. Tell your child all the prime numbers between 1 to 13 – 2, 3 ,5, 7, 11, 13. Now divide the playing cards equally between you and your child and ask your child to throw one card at a time. They can pick up all the cards if the number is the prime number and matches the card below it. The one with the maximum number of cards wins the game.

4. Hop And Tell

Here is the twist to the hopscotch game. Make a hopscotch on the floor using chalk and ask your child to write all the numbers up to 15 inside the boxes. Start playing the game, and whenever your child moves to a number, ask them if the number is a prime number or not. If they answer correctly, they can take one extra chance.

5. Jump Or Sit

Ask your child to stand and tell them that you will be calling out numbers, and they will need to decide if the number is prime. If it is a prime number, they should jump; if it is not, they should sit down.

6. Even Number Between…

Learning is an ongoing process. Kids cannot learn everything in one go. That is why we should teach kids in steps, let them grasp it, and them move to the next step. Here is how you can start teaching prime numbers to kids. On day one, explain the concept of prime numbers and ask them to make a list of prime numbers between 0 to 10. The next day, ask them to make a list of prime numbers between 10 to 20, and so on. This way, your child will easily know how to identify a prime numbers.

7. Find The Prime Numbers

For this activity, all you need is a newspaper or a magazine. Give your child one page of the newspaper or magazine and ask them to circle all the prime numbers on that page. A fun and easy way to teach your kids prime numbers while instilling the habit of reading in them.

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions related to prime numbers. If you have more questions, share them with us in the comments below.

1. How To Find Prime Numbers?

A number having two factors, 1 and itself, is called a prime number. Hence, if a number has only two factors, it will be a prime number.

2. Is 1 A Prime Number? If Not Why?

The prime number definition says that any number with only two positive divisors is a prime number. Number 1 has positive divisors itself. So, number 1 is not a prime number.

3. What Is The Smallest Prime Number?

2 is the smallest prime number.

4. What Is The Largest Prime Number?

Currently, the largest known prime number is 282,589,933−1.

Also Read:

WH Questions for Children to Learn
Easy Ways to Teach Your Child Basic Counting
Number Names for Children to Improve their Math Skills!