A typical Russian 2nd-grade math curriculum (such as the School of Russia or Petersson programs) focuses on several pillars, all of which benefit from visual aids:

Colorful, well-designed worksheets maintain a student's focus. In a testing environment, a friendly illustration of a character (like a forest animal or a robot) can make the assessment feel like a puzzle rather than a chore. Key Components of Grade 2 Assessments

These are the heart of the control work. A drawing of two shelves with different numbers of books helps the student determine whether they need to find a "sum" or a "difference." Conclusion

Diagrams and geometry-based drawings help students visualize multiplication (as arrays of dots) and division (as groups of items), laying the foundation for higher-level algebra.

For a seven or eight-year-old child, cognitive development is still heavily reliant on visual-spatial processing. Illustrations in a control work serve three primary purposes:

Illustrations show "groups of objects"—three nests with three eggs each—to explain that is simply repeated addition.

Students move beyond naming shapes to measuring perimeters. Drawings of rectangles and squares with labeled side lengths are essential for these tasks.

Instead of a dry equation like 12 - 4 , a child sees a basket of apples with some crossed out. This transforms a calculation into a relatable story, reducing "math anxiety."