This year, I started teaching the concept of addition to V. As a homeschooling mom, I still feel scared when it comes to teaching math, so I always choose hands-on learning for my subjects.

One of the best way to learn math is to use manipulative during activities or lessons. Manipulative are physical objects that children can manipulate to represent numbers and perform calculations. For teaching addition, you can use objects like counting blocks, stones, buttons, or pompoms etc. By using hands-on learning, incorporating manipulative, you can create an engaging activity.

To introduce the concept of addition, I used unifix cubes. They are a helpful tool for learning not only addition, but also subtraction and many other math concepts.

Things you need to make this activity:

1. Whiteboard marker
2. A4 size paper
3. Unifix cubes or pom-poms or pebbles. Something to count.
4. A4 size plastic sleeve.

Draw three boxes on an A4 size paper. Use the “+” and “=” signs. Put the paper inside a plastic sleeve and write any number on it using a dry erase marker to perform addition.

If your child cannot write yet, you can use flashcards, cutouts of numbers, or write the number for them.

This is a fun way to make addition enjoyable. Find free printable sheets with pictures to help your child learn addition. Put the printable in a plastic sleeve and repeat the activity multiple times.

Tip: I understand that sometimes it can be frustrating for a child to visualise numbers and write the correct answers. One helpful technique that I use is writing the numbers 1-10 on the side of the sheet. This way, it provides an extra visual aid for my child and helps reduce frustration. By doing this, it allows her to refer to the numbers whenever she needs to, making the learning process smoother and more enjoyable.

Recently, I purchased a math memory game that is quite advanced for my child. Currently, we are using only addition number cards and answer cards.

How we do this activity:

1. I select addition card and place few answers in front of her.
2. Then she counts the number using cubes and adds them up.
3. After that, she selects the right answer cards and matches them with the addition card.