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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Number Talks - Making Numbers Task Cards
Build number sense skills with this set of 20 task cards.
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Picture Addition Worksheet
A worksheet consolidating students' understanding of combining groups of items.
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Rainbow Facts - Addition Match Up Cards
A bright and fun game to play in the classroom when learning the Friends of Ten and Rainbow Facts.
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Counting On Game
Engage your students with this fun and colourful counting on game that gives your students practise with the 'counting on' addition strategy.
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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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Addition Strategies Exit Tickets
Assess student knowledge of different addition strategies with these printable exit tickets.
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Missing Addends to 10 – Flashcards
Practise all the ways to make ten with this set of flashcards.
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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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Hundreds Chart Strategy Addition Worksheet Pack
Practise using the hundreds chart strategy with this worksheet set.
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Hundreds Chart Addition Strategy Interactive Activity
Practise using the hundreds chart as an addition strategy with this fun interactive activity.
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10 More, 10 Less Differentiated Mazes
Delight your students with this maze challenge, to practise calculating 10 more or 10 less than a value within 120.
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Ten More and Ten Less - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Practise adding and subtracting 10 from given numbers within 100 in this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Number Talk Task Cards - Ten Frames
Build number sense skills with this set of 30 ten and double ten frame maths talk task cards.
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Apple Tree Addition and Subtraction Mat
Solve addition and subtraction problems up to 10 with a hands-on apple maths centre.
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Missing Addend Avenue - Find the Missing Number Worksheet
Practise using various subtraction strategies with a fun dice-roll math maze.
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Make Ten Worksheet
Practise early addition strategies of making ten with this worksheet.
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Partitioning Teaching Presentation
Introduce the partitioning strategy to your students with this teaching presentation.
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Making 10 Number Bonds - Worksheet
A worksheet to practise the addition strategy of making 10.
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Number Talks - Three-Digit Addition Task Cards
Build number sense skills with this set of 24 task cards.
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Addition and Subtraction Word Problem Task Cards (Numbers 1-50)
Use a range of addition and subtraction strategies to solve twenty word problems that contain numbers 1–50.
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Fact Family Find and Flip - Addition and Subtraction (Middle)
Addition and subtraction game cards demonstrating the relationship between fact families.
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Double Plus One - Worksheet
A worksheet to help students demonstrate their understanding of near doubles.
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Doubles Leap Frog - Doubling Numbers Game
A fun game for students to play when doubling two digit numbers.
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20 Polygon Puzzles - Addition and Subtraction Pack
Explore addition and subtraction with this fun polygon puzzle pack.
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Input Output Machine Worksheet Set
Use this input output machine worksheet set to introduce your students to number patterns while giving them computational practice.
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Addition Strategy Mats
Practise using a variety of addition strategies to add 2-digit numbers.
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Making Ten Activity Mat
A template that encourages students to demonstrate multiple ways to make 10.
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Number Talks - Double Digit Addition Task Cards
Build number sense skills with this set of 24 task cards.
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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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Compensation Strategy Addition Mini Book
Use this mini-book to help your students learn how to use the compensation strategy to solve addition sums.
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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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Rainbow Facts - Zero-Tail Game
Practise rainbow number facts when solving addition problems involving two-digit numbers with this fun game.