Addition/Subtraction Activities Using Manipulatives
Hands-on activities that involve manipulatives can help students learn addition and subtraction. Manipulatives enable children to visualize math problems and how to solve a problem from beginning to end. Use familiar materials, such as dominoes, sticky notes, beans, tiles, dice and chips, as manipulatives. As opposed to contemplating abstract numbers, children can work with concrete entities to learn these basic math operations.
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Dominoes
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Have children make a set of dominoes with black permanent markers and fun foam to play a game appropriate for grades K-5. Set a score that determines the winner. Mix the dominoes and place the dominoes face down. Direct each player to take seven dominoes. Have the player who holds the domino with the highest number of dots go first and place that domino on the table. Ask the players to take turns putting down dominoes, matching the number on one-half of a domino to another half of a domino already placed on the table. Have the children add up the dots on each domino played and subtract it from the winning score. Instruct a player, who is unable to make a move, to choose a domino from an extra pile and continue to pick up dominoes until he can play. The first player to reach zero with the highest number of dots wins.
Counting Chips
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Use chips to teach first-graders how to add and subtract. Write an addition problem on the board, such as "5 + 2." Demonstrate the problem with counting chips, putting a group of two chips together with a group of five chips. Point to the group of five chips, explaining that the students know that group consists of five chips. Cover the group of chips with your hand, and then indicate the remaining two chips. Start the count with "5" and then count, "six, seven." Write down more problems on the board. Have the children set aside two groups of chips, and start counting the first group of chips as a total number before counting the second group of chips. Draw a bag on the blackboard and write the number "5" on the bag. Draw 2 counters next to the bag. Tell the children to visualize 5 counters in the bag and to add two more. Write "5 -- 2" on the board. Cover two chips with your hand and have the children count the remaining chips.
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Visual Images
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Teach first-graders about small double with familiar images. Find pictures of a pair of eyes, a four-legged animal, an insect, a spider, two hands and a carton of eggs. Pin them on the board. Write "1 + 1" next to the two eyes. Point to the four-legged animal and write "2 + 2." Explain that these equations represent doubles. Ask them to help you fill in the rest of the doubles equations by looking at the pictures. Teach the children how to subtract visually by covering half the picture.
Sticky Notes
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Use rhymes to teach addition and subtraction to children in grades K-2. Read the nursery rhyme "The Queen of Hearts," explaining the terms "tarts" and "knaves." Show the children the Queen, King and Jack on playing cards, pointing out that jack is another word for knave. Discuss the events in the rhyme, in which the knave steals the tarts and brings them back. Use sticky notes to present subtraction and addition problems. Write down different numbers on the sticky notes. Place a tray of tarts, which may consist of real or fake cookies, on the table. Pair the children to take turns acting out the rhyme, each time showing how taking away and bringing back the tarts can be translated into subtraction and addition problems. Match the sticky notes to the number of tarts on the tray, the number of tarts that are "stolen," and the number of tarts returned.
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References
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