All About Addition and Subtraction PDF - DREME Family Math

[Pages:2]All About Addition and Subtraction

What Are Addition and Subtraction?

Addition is used to calculate the total of two numbers. Subtraction is used to determine the difference between two numbers. Each method is based on core ideas. One is that addition increases the amount and subtraction decreases it (except when you add or take away zero).

Why Are Addition and Subtraction Important?

Informal addition and subtraction are important because they are basic for many activities of everyday life, such as setting the table, making change at the supermarket, and playing some games. Informal addition and subtraction also set the stage for learning about math, including multiplication and division, in school.

What Do Children Need to Know About Addition and Subtraction?

Young children begin with the understanding that adding means getting more (which is good) and taking away means having less (which is not so good). Children need to learn to figure out the results of adding and subtracting. To add, they can first simply count the total number of objects in the two groups, and to subtract they can simply count what is left over after some of the objects have been taken away. They also need to understand ideas like these: If you count the blue trucks first and then the red trucks, you get the same answer as when you count the red trucks first and then the blue ones.

Copyright ? 2020 Stanford University, DREME Network. All Rights Reserved.

How Can We Support Children's Development of Addition and Subtraction?

You can help children learn addition and subtraction during everyday activities. You can ask, "How many crackers will be on the plate when I put on two more?" Or "How many raisins will be left when you eat these two?" You can read books or sing songs involving addition and subtraction. For example, the story of the monkeys jumping on and off the bed is all about adding and subtracting, although those words may not be used.

Children need to learn to add and subtract real objects and do simple mental calculation by imagining what happens to various objects when some are added or taken away. Eventually, in 1st grade, BUT NOT NOW, children also need to remember the simple number facts, like 3 + 4 = 7 or 6 ? 2 = 4, without having to calculate or think, and they also eventually need to learn to read, write, and understand written numerals and the symbols + ? and =. But don't force them to learn these things now. The result might spoil their natural interest in math.

Here are suggestions for things to do that promote children's addition and subtraction skills:

? Counting to figure out how many tangible objects, such as toys or forks, there are after one is added or taken away from small groups of eight or fewer objects.

? Counting two groups of five or fewer objects and figuring out how many there are when you put the two groups together.

? Taking eight or fewer objects and seeing how many different ways children can group the objects. For example, children can divide six toy dinosaurs into a group of three and another group of three, or a group of four and a group of two.

? Reading picture books with children that involve adding one or taking one away, for example, Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins.

Article Author: Herb Ginsburg and Colleen Uscianowski

Copyright ? 2020 Stanford University, DREME Network. All Rights Reserved.

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