Give the child two small groups of items – say, a group of two blocks and a group of three blocks. Have the child count the number of blocks in each group. Have the child combine these two groups of objects and count the total number of blocks. Explain that they have “added” these groups together. [2] X Research source Provide a set number of objects – six Cheerios, for example – and ask your child how many ways they can combine groups of Cheerios to make six. They might create one group of five Cheerios, for example, and one group of one. [3] X Research source Demonstrate how you can “add” to a group of objects by stacking. Start with a stack of three pennies, for example, and add two more to the stack. Ask your child to count how many pennies are now in the stack. [4] X Research source
When working with groups of students with varying abilities you may tailor this game to provide an extra challenge for quick learners. Instruct them to add the results of three or more dice or playing cards.
Begin with horizontal number sentences. Young children are already learning that they are supposed to write words and sentences “across” paper. Following a similar practice with number sentences will be less confusing. Once children have mastered this concept you may introduce the concept of vertical sums. [9] X Research source
Consider using milk cartons to illustrate “fact families. " Cover cartons with paper, or a wipe-clean surface if you’d like to re-use the cartons. Have students list the integers of a fact family on the top of the carton – for example, 4, 5, and 9. Next, have them write one fact from these numbers’ “fact family” on each of the carton’s four sides.
“Result unknown” problems – for example, if Meredith has two cars and on her birthday she receives three more, how many cars does she now have in all? “Change unknown” problems – for example, if Meredith has two cars, and after opening all her birthday presents she now has five cars, how many cars did she receive for her birthday? “Start unknown” problems – for example, if Meredith receives three cars for her birthday and now she has five, how many cars did she have to start off with?[16] X Research source
“Join” problems involve the growth of a quantity. For example, if Elizabeth bakes three cakes and Sara bakes six more, how many cakes are there altogether? “Join” problems may also ask students to solve for unknown change or start figures – for example, if Elizabeth bakes three cakes and Elizabeth and Sara produce nine cakes in all, how many cakes did Sara bake? “Part-part-whole” problems involve adding two static figures. For example, if there are 12 girls in the class and 10 boys, how many students are in the class altogether? “Compare” problems” involve an unknown in a compared set of values. For example, if Geoff has seven cookies, and he has three more cookies than Laura, how many cookies does Laura have?[17] X Research source
You can also look for videos on websites like Khan Academy and YouTube. [19] X Expert Source Daron CamAcademic Tutor Expert Interview. 29 May 2020.
