Start with small objects like dried beans, legos, or small toys. Ask your child a question like, “If you have two beans, and then I give you 3 more, how many do you have now?”
As they count to find the sum, be sure that they have already mastered one-to-one correspondence and they are counting one object per number that they say. Pointing to the objects as they count and/or sliding them to a new pile as the count are good strategies to reinforce the one-to-one correspondence.
You can also use this “swoop method” printable to help them use small manipulative to learn addition in a hands-on way.
More ideas for teaching addition:
Solve basic addition problems first and after a while the answers will begin to naturally be memorized.
Demonstrate the addition through visual representations like drawing dots to represent the addends (numbers being added) and count the total for the sum (answer to the addition problem).
Demonstrate the answer with manipulatives (something tangible such as dried beans, legos, or base ten blocks).
Play board games like “Sum Swamp.”
Say addition problems aloud and use fingers to find the answer.
Use strategies such as counting up from number. For example, if adding 3 to 5, start with 5 in your head and then count up to 3 fingers saying, “6, 7, 8,” to find the answer is 8.
Why should children memorize addition facts?
Knowing addition facts will prepare them for more difficult mental math in the future.
Memorizing addition facts makes problem solving quicker and easier, creating the opportunity for children to learn more complex concepts.
Children see themselves as capable learners when they memorize these math facts. This is very motivating and inspires them to want to learn more while building self esteem.
Memorizing math facts moves children from seeing math concretely to thinking of math abstractly. However, make sure they understand facts concretely (in a way that they can show with objects) before just memorizing.
Problem solving skills are strengthened when kids can focus on the logic of the problem rather than just the computation.
