Math stories tell about things joining or going away. Act them out, draw them, and write a number sentence.
- Listen to the story.
- Act it out with toys or fingers, or draw it.
- Are things joining ($+$) or going away ($-$)?
- Count to answer. Then check with the story.
Key idea
Joining stories add. Going-away stories subtract. Act it out, then count.
Why it works
Acting out or drawing shows what happens in the story. You can see whether the group gets bigger or smaller.
Worked example: Sharing shells
Mia has 6 shells. She gives 2 to Ben. How many shells does Mia have now?
- Mia’s group gets smaller: take away.
- Draw 6 shells. Cross out 2.
- 4 are left: $6 - 2 = 4$.
Answer: 4 shells
Worked example: Red and blue cars
There are 3 red cars and 5 blue cars. How many cars are there?
- The two groups go together: add.
- Count them all: 8.
- $3 + 5 = 8$
Answer: 8 cars
For grown-ups: Make up stories about your child’s own things at the table. Let your child decide whether it is a + story or a − story.