Addition Teaching Resources
Introduce addition this school year with printable worksheets, digital activities, adding games, addition word problems, flashcards and more to help students understand how to add numbers and apply addition strategies to maths problems.
This teaching resource collection was created by the teachers on the Teach Starter team for primary teachers like you. Each Australian curriculum-aligned resource has been carefully reviewed and curated by our expert teachers to ensure it's ready to use with your students! Browse printables and digital activities for teaching students how to make 10, how to add integers and more, plus find differentiated resources to help you meet each student's needs!
New to teaching addition, or just looking for new ways to engage your students? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including a kid-friendly definition and some common vocabulary!
What Is Addition? A Kid-Friendly Definition
Let's start with a definition of this maths operation that's easy for them to understand!
Addition is a maths operation that involves combining two or more numbers to find a total. The symbol (+) is used to indicate addition, and this is called a plus sign.
Here's an example of addition at work!
In the equation 2 + 3 = 5, the numbers 2 and 3 are added together to get a sum of 5.
Addition Terms
There are plenty of new vocabulary words for your students to learn when introducing addition. Here are some of the terms you will want to start with.
Sum
The sum is the result of adding two or more numbers. It's the solution or answer to an addition problem!
In the equation 2 + 3 = 5, 5 is the sum.
Addend
The numbers being added in an addition equation are called addends.
For example, in the equation 2 + 3 = 5, both 2 and 3 are addends.
Commutative Property
The commutative property states that changing the order of the addends in your addition problem does not change the sum.
For example, 2 + 3 is the same as 3 + 2.
Associative Property
The associative property states that changing the grouping of the addends in your maths problem will not change the sum.
For example, (2 + 3) + 4 is the same as 2 + (3 + 4).
Repeated Addition
Sometimes a math problem involves adding the same number multiple times. We call this repeated addition, and it's a way to find the product of two numbers where one of the numbers is repeated a certain number of times.
Repeated addition is handy for helping students understand multiplication. After all, multiplication can be thought of as repeated addition.
Cartoon plus sign
What Is Partial Sums Addition?
If you know what a sum is, you're halfway to understanding partial sums addition! This maths vocabulary term refers to adding two or more numbers by breaking apart the addends and adding the value of the digits in each place value position from right to left.
This handy strategy is great for students when they are first learning to add two or more numbers. Partial sums addition breaks down the process of addition into smaller, more manageable steps.
Let's look at an example.
If you have the 36 + 27 and want to use partial sums addition, you start by determining the value of the digits in the ones place, adding them together, and writing down the sum (6 + 7 = 13).
Next, add the value of the tens place digits together (30 + 20 = 50), and write down the answer under the previous sum. Add together the two partial sums to get your answer, 63.
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Pizza-Themed Near Doubles Task Cards
Practise quick recall of near doubles facts with this cute pizza-themed task cards activity.
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Hundreds Chart Strategy Addition Mini Book
Use this mini-book to help your students learn how to use the hundreds chart as a strategy to solve addition sums.
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Adding and Subtracting Integers - Tarsia Puzzle
Practise adding and subtracting integers with a printable Tarsia puzzle!
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Adding and Subtracting Integers on Number Lines - Worksheet
Help your students learn to add and subtract integers on a number line with a printable adding and subtracting integers worksheet.
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Add and Subtract Integers on a Number Line - Interactive Picture Reveal
Practise solving addition and subtraction equations with positive and negative numbers using an interactive mystery picture reveal.
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Adding and Subtracting Decimals — Small Group Bingo Game
Review how to add and subtract decimals with a printable small group bingo game.
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Counting On Teaching Presentation
Introduce the early addition concept of ‘counting on’ to your students with this teaching presentation.
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Adding 2-Digit Numbers Task Cards
Practice adding 2-digit numbers with this set of 18 number sentence task cards.
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Spot the Dots Subitising Activity
Build number sense skills with these sets of cards.
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Addition Maze – Dog and Bone Worksheet
A worksheet to use to practise finding missing addends.
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Make Two Math Machine Worksheet
A worksheet to use when practising number patterns.
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Maths Mazes (Two-digit Addition)
A set of three mazes that require students to add two-digit numbers.
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Mental Maths Addition Posters
Use this set of addition posters in your classroom when teaching different mental maths strategies.
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Marine Animal Addition Worksheet
A marine themed addition worksheet to use when adding two single-digit numbers.
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Maths Activity Ideas for Parents - Addition and Subtraction
An information sheet for parents or carers to use when assisting children with addition and subtraction at home.
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Making 10 – Number Facts Board Game
A fun hands-on game students can play to consolidate their knowledge of making 10.
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Double Plus One - Grid Worksheet
A fun worksheet to help students demonstrate their understanding of near doubles.
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Double Minus One - Grid Worksheet
A fun worksheet to help students demonstrate their understanding of near doubles.
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Friends of... 1 to 10 - BW
A set of 10 posters showing how different combinations of numbers connect to make the same number.
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Double Plus 1 – Game Boards
30 game boards to use when working with near doubles.
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Christmas Maths Puzzle - Addition Facts to 20
Practise addition facts up to 20 with a printable Winter maths puzzle for Year 1 students
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Plan a Halloween Party – Estimation Project
Plan your own Halloween party and practice estimating sums, differences and products of whole numbers and decimals with an engaging maths project!
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Cut & Paste Fact Family Worksheets
Use these fact family houses worksheet set to practise addition and subtraction fact families with your students, as well as fine motor skills.
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Addition Strategies Task Cards
Practise using the jump strategy, split strategy, compensation strategy and 100s chart strategy with this set of task cards.
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Adding with the Bar Model Cut and Paste Worksheet
Practise adding two digit numbers using the bar model with this cut and paste worksheet.
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Addition Strategies to 20 Workmat
Practise using a variety of addition strategies to add numbers up to 20.
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Adding within 1000 Expanded Form Worksheet
Practise using the split strategy by working through this expanded form addition worksheet.
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Split Strategy Addition Dominoes
A set of addition dominoes to use in the classroom when applying the split strategy.
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Addition Within 100 Bar Model - Interactive Mystery Picture
Take a deep dive using the bar model for addition within 100 with this fun mystery reveal interactive activity.
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Making Ten Cut and Paste Worksheet
A cut-and-paste worksheet to practise finding the missing addend when making ten.
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Counting On Bingo
Practise counting on strategies with this bingo game.
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Counting On Cover Up Game
Practise the counting-on strategy with this fun cover-the-board game.