Your Child Will Learn
Introductory Addition (adding up to 5)
Here’s What to Do
- At the grocery store, pick up one item and show it to your child before putting it in the cart/basket. Pick up one more item, and ask your child how many you would have if you put both in the cart (i.e. 1 apple + 1 more apple = 2 apples).
- Repeat with a different item, starting with 2-4 and adding one more (example: 2 garlics plus 1 more garlic= 3 garlics, 3+1=4, 4+1=5)
- Next, try adding by 2, 3, and 4 (example: 2 cans plus 2 cans= 4 cans, 1+2, 1+3, 1+4, 2+3, 3+2)
Put PEER Into Action
PAUSE:
- Turn to your child as you enter the store, and ask, “Are you ready for some shopping math?” Let’s go!
ENGAGE
- “How many apples is this? One, right! If we added one more apple, how many would we have all together?”
- “We need 4 cans of beans. I have 2 right here. How many more do we need to get to 4?”
ENCOURAGE
- “What’s the next number after 3 when you count? 1, 2, 3… 4, right! So when you add by only one thing, you just need to count up to the next number.”
- “It’s okay if you don’t know, let’s figure it out! Here’s 1 box of pasta, and we need 3. Let’s count until we get to 3. 1, 2, 3. We added 2 more boxes to get to 3. So, 1 plus 2 equals 3!”
REFLECT
- Where are some other places we could practice adding? What objects could we use to practice?
Not Quite Ready
Keep practicing adding by 1 object (instead of adding 2 or 3 objects).
Ready for More
Try adding groups of objects that add up to 6-10
As Your Child Masters This Skill
They will be able to correctly add groups of objects that total 5.
Time to Complete
15 minutes
Materials Needed
None