Strategies to Learn Addition Math Facts to 18
Commutative Property of
Addition
It doesn’t matter which order you add 2
addends.
So 3+4 is the same as 4+3.
Use what you know!!
Counting On, Counting Back
If you are adding 1 or 2 (or 3 at the
most) you can count on.
For example:
5+2=___. Start at 5, then think 6, 7
(imagine a number line in your head)
To subtract- count back 1 or 2
Doubles Plus 1
Doubles Plus 2
Doubles facts are easy for kids to
remember, so they are easy to use when
the addends differ by 1 or 2.
Examples:
7+8=__. Think 7+7=14 plus 1 more is 15.
5+7=__. Think 5+5=10 plus 2 more is 12.
Make a 10
Understanding how numbers relate to 10
is critical for fluent computation.
Thinking of numbers as parts of ten is
helpful to learn basic facts. Tens
partners are combinations of numbers
that equal 10.
0+10=10 3+7=10
1+9=10
4+6=10
2+8=10
5+5=10
Make a 10 is important because it is easy
to add 10 to any number.
Doubles Minus 1
Doubles Minus 2
Similar to doubles + 1 or doubles + 2.
Examples:
7+8=__. Think 8+8=16 take away 1 is 15.
5+7=__. Think 7+7=14 take away 2 is 12.
Making 10 to add 9, 8, or 7
When adding 9 to any number take 1
away from the other number and give it
to the 9 to make 10. When adding 8 to
any number take 2 away from the other
number and give it to the 8 to make 10.
You can use this with 7 also.
Examples:
9+6=__. Take 1 from 6 and think 10+5=15
8+5=__. Take 2 from 5 and think 10+3=13
7+4=__. Take 3 from 4 and think 10+1=11
Your child may favor one strategy over another. They may choose to
use a different strategy than you would choose. This is okay. The
important thing is that they find a strategy or two that they can use and
explain why they are using it. Your child should focus on strategies to
develop automaticity and get away from using fingers.