By helping a child learn the concept of addition, you will help lay a solid foundation for their academic future. Many countries have standards to follow so that all first-graders learn the rules of addition and subtraction for numbers up to 20, but before they can perfectly handle this type of arithmetic operation, they need to understand the meaning of the verb. "add". There are many teaching tools that can help you make your explanation effective and fun to promote your child's or students' learning of addition.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Teaching material
Step 1. Use objects to demonstrate how addition works
Children learn more easily with the use of visual tools that help them understand the rules of addition. You can use anything that is easy to handle, from beads to bricks to Cheerios. Start with small amounts of objects and use various techniques to demonstrate the relationships between numbers:
- Give the child two groups of objects: one with two bricks and the other with three. Ask him to count the number of bricks in each group.
- Then ask him to join the two sets and count the total number of bricks. Explain to him that in doing so, he has "added" these two groups.
- Give the child a certain amount of items (for example, six Cheerios) and ask him how many ways he can combine them by creating groups of Cheerios which sum is six. For example, he could create a set of five donuts and one made of one unit.
- Show him how to "add" objects to a set by stacking them: start, for example, with a stack of three coins and add two more. Then ask the child to count how many coins now form the pile.
Step 2. Divide the children into groups and have them serve as human "teaching material" themselves
In a school setting, take advantage of your pupils' constant need to move by making them become the teaching material themselves. Use similar techniques to those you would use with objects to group and arrange them, then ask them to count themselves in various conformations.
Step 3. Evaluate the possibility of pupils creating the teaching materials with their own hands
Use modeling clay to create the necessary items, or combine your addition and art class and use scissors to create a series of shapes with paper.
Step 4. Use the pieces of a game in an alternative way and create some fun exercises on addition
Dice lend themselves easily to starting a themed game: ask students to roll two dice and practice adding up the numbers that appear. You can also use playing cards or dominoes.
When you work with groups of students with different learning levels, you may want to adapt this game and thus increase the difficulty for those who learn faster. Ask him to add up the results of three or more dice or playing cards
Step 5. Count with coins
Use the coins to practice, adding them in groups of 1, 5, 10 and even 25. In addition to teaching the rules of addition, this method allows you to hone your money-handling skills and has the added value of demonstrating the advantages familiar with this arithmetic operation.
Method 2 of 4: Using the Language of Mathematics and Numerical Bonds
Step 1. Get pupils to familiarize themselves with the symbols of addition
Teach the meaning of the "+" and "=" symbols, then tell them how to write simple algebraic sums, such as "3 + 2 = 5".
It starts with an algebraic sum written horizontally. Children at school immediately learn that the words and phrases they write must "cross" the paper: following the same rule with arithmetic operations will create less confusion; once they know how to handle this rule, you can then introduce the concept of vertical sums
Step 2. Teach pupils the words that mean "addition"
Explain the meaning of terms and expressions such as "all together", "join", "what it does in everything", "total" and "sum": these are all words that commonly indicate that two or more numbers must be added.
Step 3. Use number links to help them understand the relationships between numbers
Numerical bonds show how various numbers relate to each other in an addition problem. In reality, this type of operation often includes both addition and subtraction, to help students understand the inverse relationship between them. Between the integers 4, 5 and 9, for example, there is a numerical link since 4 + 5 = 9; 5 + 4 = 9; 9 - 4 = 5 and 9 - 5 = 4.
Consider using milk containers to explain the concept of numerical bonds. Cover the containers with paper, or opt for a washable surface if you want to reuse the milk package. Have the pupils write the digits of a numerical link on the top of the board, noting for example 4, 5 and 9. Then ask them to write an operation of this numerical link on each of the four sides of the board
Method 3 of 4: Memorize the Base Digits
Step 1. Teach pupils to "count in jumps"
Learning to count to 100 by multiples of 2, 5 and 10 will improve students' ability to understand the relationships between numbers and allow easy reference points.
Step 2. Encourage pupils to memorize "doubles"
The "double", in arithmetic, is the result of operations such as "3 + 3 = 6" or "8 + 8 = 16". Again, these operations serve as reference points for pupils in their addition learning process. A child who knows that "8 + 8 = 16", for example, will more easily find the sum of "8 + 9": in fact, just add 1 to the total.
Step 3. Use flashcards to stimulate memorization
Try to group these cards in an order that takes into account the numerical links to emphasize the relationships between the various digits. Although students need to understand how numbers interact with each other, the mechanical memorization of basic arithmetic operations will provide an additional basis for proceeding with more complex operations.
Method 4 of 4: Using Math Problems
Step 1. Practice with different types of math problems
Some students may find these exercises more difficult, while others may achieve better results once they understand the implications that learning the rules of addition can have in the real world. Help the child recognize three different situations that require addition:
- Problems where the result is unknown: if Marco has two cars and for his birthday he receives three more, how many cars does he now have in all?
- Problems where the difference is unknown: if Marco has two toy cars and, after having unwrapped all his presents, he now has five, how many toy cars did he receive for his birthday?
- Problems where the starting situation is unknown: if Marco receives three toy cars for his birthday and now he has five in all, how many toy cars did he have at the beginning?
Step 2. Teaches to recognize problems that require a "sum", "two parts to a whole" and a "comparison"
Real-world situations involve several parameters: understanding how they work will allow the student to develop the tools necessary to solve mathematical problems that require addition.
- The "sum" problems involve an increase in quantity. For example, if Elisa prepares three cakes and Sara prepares six, how many cakes are there in all? In addition, problems involving a "sum" may require the student to find other unknown data, such as the difference or the starting figure. Here is an example: if Elisa prepares three cakes and, with Sara, they prepare nine in all, how many cakes has Sara prepared?
- Problems that fall into the "two parts to one whole" category require the sum of two known data. For example, if there are 12 girls and 10 boys in the classroom, how many students are there in total?
- The "comparison" problems require an unknown datum in a comparison between a series of values. For example, if Giorgio has seven cookies and, that is, three more than Laura's, how many cookies does Laura have?
Step 3. Use books that teach the concepts of addition
Children who are more oriented to reading and writing could especially benefit from books dealing with the topic of addition. Search online by typing "teach addition with books" to access lists of useful books written by teachers.
