Maths help for parents of children aged 5 to 11
Maths game: Counting monkeys
Another in our series of fun counting games with totals up to 5. Have you tried counting cows and goats? Why not try counting the monkeys? The more young children do this type of activity the more confident they will become with number. After a while, rather than counting each monkey they will begin to see patterns and instantly recognise that there are 3 or 4 etc.
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Free Y1 maths worksheet: Know addition to 5
Children need plenty of practice with counting on to work out simple addition. The aim of this is to get them familiar with the numbers and after a while they will begin to be able to give answers without counting on: in other words they begin to know the answers. Knowing addition bonds up to 5 in year 1 is just as important as knowing tables becomes in later years. If children do not know that 3 + 2 is 5 without counting it will slow them down enormously and make working out 30 + 20 or 300 + 200 so much more difficult.
The pictures (including upside down teddies!) are still there to help but encourage your child to say the answer without counting on.