Teach a Young Child to Add and Subtract

Teach a Young Child to Add and Subtract

Teach a Young Child to Add and Subtract : Multi-thousand tips to make your life easier.

Your child's learning to add and subtract is his entryway to more advanced mathematical learning. After all, he cannot begin to learn how to multiply, divide, or calculate percentages if he does not understand the concepts of addition and subtraction. That is why it is very important that you know the best strategies for teaching these basic mathematical concepts. Even if your child is not in school yet, you can start laying the foundations of addition and subtraction so that he can get an early start. This will definitely benefit him during his early school years.

• Teach in a relaxed atmosphere. Studies show that a child's attitude toward math is just as important as cognitive abilities and mathematical skill. That is why you should train your young child to associate mathematics with positive feelings and accomplishment.
• Make sure that your child is already comfortable with number concepts. Your child should have a solid foundation in number concepts before you guide him toward the more complicated procedures of addition and subtraction. He should not merely have memorized the sequence of numbers from one to at least ten. He should also clearly understand that each figure and number word represents a specific number of objects.
• Give concrete examples. Children are in their concrete operational stage until age six; that is, they learn best when taught using tangible, physical illustrations instead of abstract ones. The key here is this: the more concrete, the better. Although you can definitely use drawings to assist your teaching of mathematical concepts, it is even better if you can actually use “realia,” or real objects, during your explanation of addition and subtraction.
• Teach him what addition and subtraction really signify. In some traditional schools, children are simply made to memorize that “one plus one equals two.” However, you should begin by explaining the idea of addition. Use the common preschool technique of using a story or a relevant situation to illustrate what addition means: “If you had two pencils and I gave you one more, how many pencils do you have altogether?”
• Match his progress level. It is your job to closely observe how fast he is progressing in this subject. Typically, for a kindergarten student, you should stick to teaching addition with sums equal to or less than 10. Once your student gets comfortable with this, you can move on to teaching addition with sums equal to or less than 20. Then move on to teaching addition with double digits; just make sure that no “carrying” of digits is involved.
• Use flashcards. Once your student has grown comfortable with the concept of addition and subtraction, and once he has also shown progress in his ability to add or subtract using concrete aids, you can guide him toward mental calculations. Use flashcards to help him commit to memory the sums or differences of two numbers. You can allow him to use his fingers first to count out the sums or differences. After a while, encourage him to remember what the sum or difference of two numbers is. Point out to him that two and three added together is the same as three and two added together. This will help improve his speed at adding and subtracting.

Teaching your child to add and subtract starts with fostering a positive attitude about math. Give him lots of encouragement, and be there to guide him whenever he needs it. Observe him closely and monitor his rate of progress, and try to match this rate by giving him more advanced exercises as appropriate.