How Many?
Class 1 · Mathematics
4 ideas in Class 1 Mathematics, explained in plain words, with games and quizzes to practise.
Altogether Means Add
Part of: Putting groups together
Adding means putting two groups together and counting everything. For example, 3 red beads and 2 blue beads together make 5 beads. The chapter calls this altogether.
Why it matters. Children who only count one group at a time get stuck on totals. Seeing addition as joining groups builds the base for all later sums.
Try it in two minutes
- Put 3 spoons and 2 spoons in two piles. Ask: how many in all?
- Push the piles together and count: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
- Say the sentence: 3 and 2 altogether make 5.
Try at home. At dinner, ask your child to add the rotis on two plates and say the altogether sentence.
Hopping on the Number Strip
Part of: Putting groups together
A number strip is a line of numbers in order. To add, start on the first number and hop forward as many steps as the second number. Starting on 3 and hopping 2 lands on 5.
Why it matters. Hopping shows what adding really does: moving forward. It stops children from guessing and gives them a way to check any sum.
Try it in two minutes
- Draw boxes 1 to 10 in a row on paper.
- Put a coin on 5. Hop it 3 steps forward. Ask: where did it land?
- Say together: 5 plus 3 is 8.
Try at home. Ask your child to show 6 plus 3 with hops on the strip and say where the coin lands.
Pairs That Make a Number
Part of: Putting groups together
Every total can be split into pairs, like 7 is 5 and 2 or 3 and 4. Knowing these pairs helps children add fast without counting each time.
Why it matters. Number pairs are the memory facts behind quick addition. A child who knows pairs to 9 adds with confidence.
Try it in two minutes
- Take 7 beans. Ask your child to split them into two groups.
- Write each split: 1 and 6, 2 and 5, 3 and 4.
- Ask: which two groups make 7?
Try at home. With 8 buttons, find three different pairs that make 8.
Taking Away and How Many Left
Part of: Putting groups together
Taking away means some things go and the rest stay. If 6 frogs sit and 2 jump away, 4 are left. We write it as 6 take away 2 is 4.
Why it matters. Subtraction answers everyday left-over questions: how many sweets remain, how many children are still on the bus. It mirrors addition, so both grow together.
Try it in two minutes
- Keep 6 peanuts in a bowl. Eat 2 and ask: how many are left?
- Count the rest: 4 are left.
- Say: 6 take away 2 leaves 4.
Try at home. Put 7 spoons out, take 3 away, and ask your child to say how many are left.
What your child will practise
- Altogether Means Add: Space Quest (Collect the Answer)
- Hopping on the Number Strip: Candy Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- Pairs That Make a Number: Jungle Quest (Flip and Match)
- Pairs That Make a Number: Treasure Quest (Match It Up)
- Taking Away and How Many Left: Space Puzzle (Clue Puzzle)
- Quiz: Altogether Means Add (8 questions)
- Quiz: Hopping on the Number Strip (8 questions)
- Quiz: Pairs That Make a Number (8 questions)
- Quiz: Taking Away and How Many Left (8 questions)