One of the first skills students learn is addition. Addition is the natural advance after counting. Many students do not grasp this basic skill properly. As a result, students find it difficult to advance to higher level skills and they get stuck. Therefore, to make the task easier, here are five easy ways to learn addition. You may have heard of some of these games, they go by many different names. In addition to some simple games, we offer up some techniques to keep in mind when adding numbers in general. If you are already good at addition, you will still find these tips helpful to make you faster at addition.
Students definitely grasp the lessons easier when their studies are combined with games. These methods are ideal if you find it difficult to add large numbers. Students studying at advanced level may also find these methods helpful and improve their addition skills. These games can also be adapted to most math skills. The games are fun and students forget they are learning.
Activity 1: Snap Game:
The first method for students to learn addition is through something we like to call the snap game. A game of snap is easy to learn. It will hold your attention and develop expertise with breaking numerical into add ends. For this game, you will need some dice. Start with a pair of dice and advance to using a 3 or 4 die later. Now, ask your parents to call out numbers for you to make a chain of dice. For instance, when your parent says make 8, you need to join the numbers on the dice to make the number 8. 4 + 4, 2 + 6, 3 + 5. As you can see the possibilities are numerous. You can build off of these numbers and continuous add numbers until you run out of dice. This game can also be used to learn subtraction. The snap game can help us to build the foundation of the addition skill.
Activity 2: Using Pebbles and Black Boards:
In this method, you need to obtain a few pebbles, a blackboard or white board and chalk. To start with, you need to keep one number in mind. For instance, if you think of number five, place five pebbles on the table and write five on the board. Next, again think of some number may be say four. You need to add four pebbles to earlier five pebbles. Now, on the board, below five include a plus sign and write four below it.
Count the pebbles, which will come to nine. Write it down on the board. You need to start with smaller numbers initially and then try to practice addition using two figure numbers. You can build this series of numbers continuously. You will see that in few minutes, you have gained expertise in addition.
Activity 3: Count large numbers first:
For instance, 7 + 2, start counting seven until its immediate next number, two times. That means, after seven comes eight (this is one time), then after eight comes nine (second time). Try this counting method. It will make addition easy and fun. This is more of a quick trick when setting up problems than a game. It does make addition easier though.
Activity 4: Adding double-digit number:
If you want to add double-digit numbers, you can either use this method or break the bigger numbers into units of tens. For instance, in 15 + 4, break the number 15 into units as well as tens. That means it will become 5 + 10. Now first add the units and then add the obtained sum to tens. Add 4 + 5 that gives 9, and then add 10 + 9, to give 19.
Activity 5: Use addition tables:
You may also use addition table to add numbers. In this addition table, if you want to add 2 to 5, go down two spaces in the row and then five spaces along the column. You will get the desired answer that is seven. You may also go five columns down and two rows horizontally to get the answer.
Overview:
Addition is the foundation of arithmetic. If you practice the above-mentioned methods, it will improve your subtraction skills too. Apart from these methods, make use of math work books. Write down each number in the box and then use methods discussed above.
Math worksheets are particularly useful while adding larger numbers or decimals. Practice the math problems from the workbooks and solve them. Thus, learn these five methods and solve the math efficiently.