Which square sizes are there?

1 inch, ½ inch, 1 cm, ¼ inch and 5 mm. On the two smallest grids every fifth line is a little darker, so squares are easy to count.

What is squared paper good for in primary school?

Lining up digits in column addition and subtraction, drawing arrays and area models, bar graphs, and pixel art.

Is the paper the right size when printed?

Yes, as long as you print at 100% scale (Actual size). Fit to page would shrink the squares a little.

Printable Graph Paper: 1 cm, 5 mm, ½ inch and ¼ inch Grids

Graph paper for maths

Children who write each digit in its own square line up ones, tens and hundreds without trying. Pair it with the addition and subtraction worksheets when regrouping starts.

In the MATATAG curriculum

Grade 2Building and breaking up figures with cut-outs and square grids.
Grade 3Area of squares and rectangles in square centimetres and square metres, using square tiles.
Grade 3Single bar graphs, horizontal and vertical.

The 1 cm grid is ideal for Grade 3 area work: each square is 1 sq. cm, so children draw a rectangle and count the squares, then see why length times width gives the same answer.

Grade 3 is also when bar graphs begin, and 1 cm squares keep every bar the right height.

Summarised in our own words from DepEd’s MATATAG Mathematics Curriculum Guide, Grades 1–10 (2023).