Door-2-Math Blog

By now, you’re probably getting bored and running out of ideas to this method of addition by regrouping. You’re not alone. I too get tired by the time we got around to 9. Then out of the blue, my son commented one day, isn’t 9 just 8 added to 1? He then continued, “so if I know to make 8, then all I have to do is add 1 to the groupings.”

Yes, I was a very proud mom! Here’s what he saw.

8                                                            9

1 + 7                                                    1 + 7 (+1) or 1 +8

2 + 6                                                     2 + 6(+1) or 2 +7

3 + 5                                                     3 + 5(+1) or 3 + 6

4 + 4                                                     4 + 4(+1) or 4 + 5

There is no substitute for hard work. When you put enough in, then one day, the math “switch” just turns on by itself. It clicked for him the day that numbers are connected and he had the sense that he could figure math out.

So yes you’re probably bored out of your mind. Stay with it. Put in the work and you will be amazed how beautiful and remarkable a child’s mind is!

Trying to keep it from getting boring, I introduced a game to my kids when they were learning to regroup 8. We got 8 pennies two tea cups out one day and started to toss the pennies into the 2 tea cups. After he got all 8 pennies tossed into either one of the cups, we dumped them on the floor to examine the possible combinations to make an “8′.

Adding to 7 using fingers is a bit harder to demonstrate visually. Why? Because we only have 5 fingers on one hand! One way to get around this, if you’re adventurous, is to take socks off and use toes. If that doesn’t work for you, try M&M candies.

Line up 7 M&M candies, cover 1 under a cap, ask your child to count how many are left on the table. Lift the cap to create the visual connection that

6 + 1 = 7.

Continue to change the number of M&M’s covered under the cup to get a visual representation of other regroup combinations to make 7.

5 + 2 = 7

4 + 3 = 7

After your child has grasped this visual combination, move on to the mental picture. This is important in that it helps to strengthen the mental muscle which will lay a good foundation for estimation later on.

One way I had success with my kids when they were young was the morning drop off lessons. While in the car, we’d spend anywhere between 3 to 15 minutes on mental math. Since the kids were sitting in the back seat and I had to focus on driving, it slowed my math pace to the level that was not rushed for them. When they got stuck on coming up with a different combination to make 7, I actually encouraged them to take their shoes and socks off – hoping to make it fun for them while learning math. If that was too much for you, use your imagination and solicit your child’s help. The aim is to create a fun environment where learning is driven by curiosity.