Overview
The Addition Strip Board bridges concrete addition (golden beads, bead bars) and abstract memorization of addition facts. The child places colored and blue strips on a ruled board to find sums, systematically working through all combinations.
Objectives
What the child gains from this work
Discover and record all addition combinations for sums up to 18. Transition from concrete counting to semi-abstract representation of addition. Develop systematic work habits through organized exploration. Build toward memorization of basic addition facts. Recognize patterns in addition (commutative property, doubles, near-doubles).
Materials Needed
Gather these before presenting
- Addition Strip Board (ruled board numbered 1-18)
- Set of blue strips (1-9) and red strips (1-9)
- Addition combination booklets or equation slips
- Pencil
- Ruler
Presentation
Follow this sequence during your presentation
- Invite the child to carry the strip board and box of strips to a table. Orient the board: "See the numbers 1 through 18 across the top? We'll use these strips to find addition answers."
- Present the strips: "The blue strips show the first number. The red strips show the number we're adding." Lay them out in order beside the board.
- Write or present the first equation: 1 + 1. "Let's find one plus one." Select the blue strip for 1 and place it on the board starting at the left edge of the top row.
- Select the red strip for 1 and place it immediately to the right of the blue strip, end to end. "Now look where the red strip ends — it reaches to the number...?" The child reads: "2." Record: 1 + 1 = 2.
- Next equation: 1 + 2. Place the blue 1 strip at the left. Place the red 2 strip beside it. "Where does it end? Three." Record: 1 + 2 = 3.
- Continue with 1 + 3, 1 + 4, showing the pattern: "We keep the blue strip the same and change the red strip." Complete the 1+ table together.
- Begin the 2+ table: 2 + 1. Place the blue 2 strip, then the red 1 strip. "Where does it end? Three." The child may notice: "That's the same as 1 + 2!" Acknowledge this discovery — the commutative property emerging naturally.
- Invite the child to continue the 2+ table independently, recording each answer.
- Show the child the addition combination booklet — a systematic record of all tables from 1+ through 9+. The child works through these over many days/weeks at their own pace.
- When a table is complete, the child can check their work by counting the ruled squares on the board — a built-in control of error.
- Invite the child to carry the strip board and box of strips to a table. Orient the board: "See the numbers 1 through 18 across the top? We'll use these strips to find addition answers."
- Present the strips: "The blue strips show the first number. The red strips show the number we're adding." Lay them out in order beside the board.
- Write or present the first equation: 1 + 1. "Let's find one plus one." Select the blue strip for 1 and place it on the board starting at the left edge of the top row.
- Select the red strip for 1 and place it immediately to the right of the blue strip, end to end. "Now look where the red strip ends — it reaches to the number...?" The child reads: "2." Record: 1 + 1 = 2.
- Next equation: 1 + 2. Place the blue 1 strip at the left. Place the red 2 strip beside it. "Where does it end? Three." Record: 1 + 2 = 3.
- Continue with 1 + 3, 1 + 4, showing the pattern: "We keep the blue strip the same and change the red strip." Complete the 1+ table together.
- Begin the 2+ table: 2 + 1. Place the blue 2 strip, then the red 1 strip. "Where does it end? Three." The child may notice: "That's the same as 1 + 2!" Acknowledge this discovery — the commutative property emerging naturally.
- Invite the child to continue the 2+ table independently, recording each answer.
- Show the child the addition combination booklet — a systematic record of all tables from 1+ through 9+. The child works through these over many days/weeks at their own pace.
- When a table is complete, the child can check their work by counting the ruled squares on the board — a built-in control of error.
Extensions
Where to go when the child is ready for more
Addition Charts: after strip board work, the child fills in blank addition charts from memory. Search for patterns: all combinations that equal 10, doubles (2+2, 3+3), near-doubles. Addition Finger Charts for speed practice toward memorization. Connect to subtraction: "If 3 + 4 = 7, then 7 - 4 = ?"
Notes for the Guide
Points of interest and control of error
Points of Interest
For children who need more concrete support, use bead bars alongside the strip board to count individual beads. Allow the child to choose which tables to explore rather than proceeding sequentially.
Developmental Context
Why this lesson matters right now
Order
Need for routine, consistency, spatial orientation
Typically: 0.0–4.0 yearsMathematics
Number sense, patterns, logical thinking
Typically: 4.0–6.0 yearsUpgrade to Parent plan to add private notes on any lesson.