Addition practice comes in many forms. This concept can be very abstract for little ones so it is important to make it as concrete as possible.
When introducing addition, start by showing the child ( + ) the plus symbol and tell your child it means “altogether”. Then show them the ( = ) and say it means “the same as”. This activity is Montessori inspired but this can be done with manipulatives and/ or other movable materials. The most important thing is to allow a child to work at their own pace using hands-on methods.
Age:
When your child has a good grape on their numbers, counting, and number recognition, you can introduce addition.
What you need:
- Paper
- Circle stickers
- Writing utensil of your choice
How to:
- For this lesson, it is important that you take a piece of paper and draw a clear chart. As shown below.
- Then clearly write the addition problem 3 + 4 = ___ leaving the result blank so you can work through the problem together.
- Have your child read the first number 3. Have them choose a color sticker and count out 3. (3 green stickers)
- Then point to the plus symbol and remind them what it means “all together” and have them read the next number, ( 4 )
- Choose a different color sticker and have them count out just as many. (4 pink stickers) At this point, you should have 3 green stickers and 4 pink stickers on the paper.
- Then together count how many it makes all together. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Point to the equal symbol and remind them that this means “same as” and either you or the child can write down the number 7.
Objective:
Children will work on addition while reinforcing what the concept represents. They will be working on number recognition, counting, focus, and fine motor skills (removing and placing the stickers on the paper)