Addition Resources

Addition Basics

Addition, signified by the plus symbol, is one of the four basic operations of math. The others are subtraction, multiplication and division. When your child learns how to count, the next logical thing is to add things together. Performing addition is the one of the simplest numerical tasks.

Example:
1 + 1 = 2

Children as young as toddler age can grasp this concept once they master counting. As they progress through elementary school, students are taught to add numbers in the decimal system, starting with single digits and progressively tackling more difficult problems. Eventually, children learn to add more quickly by rote memorization. Once some facts are committed to memory, they begin to derive unknown facts from known ones. For example, if they know that 5 + 5 = 10, they can infer that 5 + 6 = 11 by just adding one more to 10. With experience, addition becomes a mixture of memorization and derived facts.

Addition has three distinct properties. They are:

Commutative Property: Changing the order of addends (the numbers that are added together) does not change the sum.
Example: 1 + 2 = 2 + 1

Associative Property: Changing the grouping of addends does not change the sum.
Example: (2 + 3) + 4 = 2 + (3 + 4)

Identity Element: The sum of 0 and any number is that number.
Example: 0 + 1 = 1

Addition is a foundational skill for children. It’s their first exposure to mathematical operations. Give them a solid start with our worksheets and resources.