Counters

1. Young children and even babies grasp on to the concept of addition very early. Together you can count and add up fingers, toes, hands, feet, cereal, raisons, bugs, toys, dots or whatever interests them and is available.
2. They will learn quite quickly that adding means putting things (or sets) together.
3. Use lots and lots of counters! Start off with easy equations. Group them in sets and try putting the sets together.
4. Start saying the mathematical equation so they learn the mathematical meanings of words such as addition, adding, add, and, plus, sum, total, equals (subtraction, minus, take-away).
5. Give your child an equation and figure out the answer together with counters.
6. Introduce the math symbols: (operations + - ); (relations =, >, < ).
7. Review the principle of ordering when you introduce greater than (>) and less than (<).
8. Show them that adding is the reverse of subtraction. Taking away food by eating it up can be the best part of the lesson. Another fun subtraction game is doing a countdown.

Tricks and Patterns

1. Explain to your child some simple tricks to make adding easier:
   1. Adding 0: any number plus zero stays the same (kids love zero/nothing/nada);
   2. Adding 1: any number plus one is just one more;
   3. Counting on- start with the biggest number and count on the smaller number;
   4. Doubling: children often learn their doubles early because they hear them so often and its easy to demonstrate.
2. There are other tricks and patterns you can show them:
   1. Adding extensions: for example 12+5 is the same as 10+2+5. Show them that if they break it down its not so hard. They already know 2+5, then add on 10.
   2. Reverse: The sum is always the same no matter what the order of the addends is [4+6=10 and 6+4=10].
   3. Adding 10's, 100's, millions etc: Show your child the pattern of adding these numbers with 0's at the end. Children just love large numbers (see our article "I'll love you till Infinity").

Problem Solving and Critical Thinking Skills

1. Put your math equations into a problem. For example- lets say we have 3 boys and 6 girls coming to the party - how many cupcakes will we need in all?
2. Have your child make up a word problem for a given equation. This can be a very creative and fun process.
3. Have your child ask you questions. This is especially good to do if you sense they are getting frustrated. Show your child how you came up with the answer.
4. Print off the addition 100's chart and use it to look up answers. Color it in and look for patterns.
5. Try estimating and practicing with a calculator. Estimation is an important skill to develop. Ask them quickly to guess what they think the sum would be.
6. Ask lots of questions to your child. How did you guess that answer? Why do you think the answer was ten? What does this symbol mean? Why do we need to add? Your child's answers to your questions will reveal a lot about how well they understand the concept and their thinking process.
7. Try to encourage your child to think up their own ways to answer the questions. Provide hints, but encourage them to come up with ideas on their own. Learning to problem solve is a very important part of their learning process.
8. Ask your child to try to think up other things they can add. Get creative and introduce other measurements such as weight, height, money, distance, length, and time.
9. Don't be afraid to talk about variables to familiarize your child with the concept for later algebra. (A variable is a symbol used to represent an unknown quantity. For example n+1>n. Try figuring out the missing n or x in an equation.)

Memorizing the Facts

Memorizing math facts is an important part of developing a foundation in basic math. Being able to quickly figure out math problems makes learning new math principles easier and more fun. Eventually the time comes to start memorizing math facts. For some children this comes quickly and just seems to happen while others need a little extra practice. Try to think up many different fun ways to practice memorizing the facts such as flashcards, music, math games, playing store, sports, rolling dice, card games and even quizzing each other. Adapt common games to include more addition. For example, we often play "what time is it Mr. Math?" and use equations to figure out the number of steps.

Fun and Encouragement

The most important thing is to keep your lessons fun and encourage your child! Use their favorite things to help count- dolls, cars, blocks, trains, food! We also used puppets to help out and be silly. Make up little songs. Count claps, jumps, steps, hugs, kisses. Offer lots of praise and encouragement and make their math lessons with you one of their favorite activities.