Adding with Objects

Putting together

Ama has two stones. Kofi gives her one more stone.

Now Ama has three stones.

Putting things together is called adding.

Can you put two things together with one more thing?

Count first

Before we add, we count.

Hold up your hands. Count your fingers slowly.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

Ten fingers! Can you count them again, faster this time?

Stones in a line

Put one stone on the table. Put one more stone next to it.

Count the stones. One, two.

One stone and one more stone makes two stones.

How many stones are on the table now?

The plus sign

This is the plus sign: +

It means "and" or "add".

1 + 1 says "one plus one". It means one stone and one more stone.

Draw a big + in the air with your finger. Say "plus"!

The equals sign

This is the equals sign: =

It means "makes" or "is the same as".

1 + 1 = 2 says "one plus one equals two".

Draw a big = in the air. Two short lines, one on top of the other. Say "equals"!

One plus one

Hold up one finger on your left hand. Hold up one finger on your right hand.

Count them. One, two.

1 + 1 = 2

Say it out loud: "One plus one equals two."

Two plus one

Abena has two bottle tops. She finds one more under the table.

Put them together and count. One, two, three.

2 + 1 = 3

Bottle tops are good for adding. Can you collect some at home?

Count on

Here is a quick way to add. Start with the first number and count on.

2 + 1: say "two", then count on, "three".

3 + 1: say "three", then count on, "four".

Try it: 4 + 1. Say "four", then what comes next?

Two plus two

Hold up two fingers on one hand. Hold up two fingers on the other hand.

Count all the fingers. One, two, three, four.

2 + 2 = 4

Your fingers are always with you, so you can add anywhere!

Mangoes

Kwame picks three mangoes. His sister picks two mangoes.

How many mangoes do they have together?

Count: one, two, three, four, five.

3 + 2 = 5

Mangoes are sweet, and adding is sweet too!

One hand is five

Open one hand wide. How many fingers? Five.

So when a sum has a 5 in it, you can just open one hand.

5 + 1: open one hand, then put up one more finger. Six!

5 + 2: open one hand, then two more fingers. How many?

Three plus three

Put three bottle tops in one group. Put three bottle tops in another group.

Push the two groups together. Count them all.

One, two, three, four, five, six.

3 + 3 = 6

Can you make two groups of three with stones?

Oranges at the market

At the market, Ama buys four oranges. Her mother buys three more.

Put them in one bag and count. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

4 + 3 = 7

What would you buy at the market?

Eggs in a basket

The hen laid four eggs on Monday. She laid four more on Tuesday.

How many eggs are in the basket?

Four, then count on: five, six, seven, eight.

4 + 4 = 8

Be careful with eggs. They break!

Five plus four

Open one hand. That is five.

On the other hand, put up four fingers.

Count on from five: six, seven, eight, nine.

5 + 4 = 9

Which finger is still folded down?

Making ten

Open both hands wide. Five fingers and five fingers.

5 + 5 = 10

Ten is a special number. It is all your fingers!

Clap ten times. Count each clap.

More ways to make ten

There are many ways to make ten.

6 + 4 = 10

7 + 3 = 10

8 + 2 = 10

9 + 1 = 10

Use ten stones. Split them into two groups. Count each group. Do they always add up to ten?

Adding nothing

Kofi has four stones. Nobody gives him any more. He adds zero.

4 + 0 = 4

Adding zero means adding nothing. The number stays the same.

What is 7 + 0?

Turn it around

2 + 3 = 5

3 + 2 = 5

Look! The answer is the same. You can add in any order.

Try it with stones. Two stones and three stones. Then three stones and two stones. Count both ways.

Adding money

Abena has GH₵1. Her uncle gives her GH₵2.

GH₵1 + GH₵2 = GH₵3

Now Abena has three cedis. Cedis are money in Ghana.

What could Abena buy with GH₵3?

Kenkey for lunch

Mama puts two balls of kenkey on the plate. Then she adds two more for Papa.

How many kenkey balls are on the plate?

2 + 2 = 4

Four kenkey balls! Is there fried fish too?

On the trotro

Three people are sitting in the trotro. At the next stop, four more people get in.

How many people are in the trotro now?

Three, then count on: four, five, six, seven.

3 + 4 = 7

Draw it

You can add by drawing.

For 3 + 2, draw three circles. Then draw two more circles.

Count all the circles. Five!

Draw circles for 4 + 2. How many circles did you draw?

Write the sum

A sum has three parts: a number, a plus sign, a number, then an equals sign and the answer.

2 + 3 = 5

Can you write this sum in your book? Say each part as you write it.

"Two, plus, three, equals, five."

Adding at school

In class, the teacher gives each child some stones.

"Put three stones here. Put two stones there. Now push them together."

Everyone counts. Five!

Adding with real things helps us see the answer.

Bigger steps

Now try adding two to a number. Say the number, then count on two more.

6 + 2: "six", then "seven, eight". Answer: 8.

7 + 2: "seven", then "eight, nine". Answer: 9.

What is 8 + 2?

Check your answer

Not sure if you are right? Check it.

Count all the objects again, one by one. Touch each one as you count.

If you get the same answer twice, it is right!

What do you do if you get a different answer?

Mistakes are fine

Kofi said 3 + 3 = 5. He counted again. Six!

Everyone makes mistakes. A mistake just means try again.

Count slowly. Touch each stone. You will get it.

Have you ever counted twice to be sure?

Practice

Use stones, fingers or bottle tops. Find the answers.

1 + 2 = ?

4 + 1 = ?

3 + 3 = ?

5 + 3 = ?

6 + 4 = ?

Say each sum out loud. Which one was the easiest?

You can add!

You learned to add up to ten.

You know the plus sign (+) and the equals sign (=).

You can add with stones, fingers, bottle tops, mangoes and eggs.

Next time you see two groups of things, put them together and count. That is adding!

Learn more

• BBC Bitesize KS1 Maths — short lessons and games for young learners
• Adding and subtracting, BBC Bitesize — simple adding activities with pictures
• Khan Academy Kids — a free app with counting and adding games
• NaCCA Ghana — the Ghana curriculum that this book follows

Watch more

Think about it

1. You have 3 stones and find 2 more. How many stones do you have?
2. What does the + sign mean?
3. How many fingers are on both of your hands?
4. Can you find two ways to make 10 with your fingers?
5. Does 2 + 4 give the same answer as 4 + 2?