MathGrade 1ages 6–7
🧁 Add up to 20
A child who hasn't yet separated "putting numbers side by side" from "putting amounts together" may write 8 and 7 as 87, because that's what the two digits look like next to each other.
Try this lesson freeNo card needed. The first lesson is free.
Download on the App StoreWhat your child learns
- Add means put together and count.
- 8 + 7: stay on eight, count seven more to fifteen.
- Or make ten: 8 and 2 is 10, five left, together 15.
- Don't stick 8 next to 7. That is not 87.
The mistake most kids make here
Sticking digits instead of adding: 8 and 7 become 87.
Try one question
8 + 7
- 15
- 87
- 14
Answer
15 — Yes. Eight, and seven steps on — fifteen.
How Maya teaches it
Your child tells Maya what they did in class. She teaches this topic at her desk, asks questions with tappable answers, and when the answer is wrong she explains why that answer was tempting instead of saying “try again”. She remembers what did not land and comes back to it.
Your child has it when they can: 8 + 7 without sticking them into eighty-seven.
How to help at home
This isn't a sign of not understanding numbers — it's a sign that "add" hasn't yet been separated from "write next to each other". Counting real objects makes the difference obvious.
Lay out 8 buttons, then 7 more buttons in a second pile. Ask your child to push the piles together and count everything, out loud, one by one. They'll land on 15, not 87 — because 87 buttons would clearly be way more than what's on the table.
When 87 comes up as a written answer, say: "if we had 87 buttons, they'd cover the whole table — let's count what we actually have." Counting all the way through together, physically, breaks the pattern of sticking digits together.
A sign they've got it: they can start at 8 and count on seven more ("nine, ten, eleven...") to reach 15, without needing to start over from one every time.
Questions parents ask
- Why does my child write 8 + 7 as 87 instead of 15?
- At this stage, some children haven't yet separated "write these digits next to each other" from "add these amounts together" — both can look like a similar action on paper. Counting real objects that add up to a believable total helps make the distinction concrete.
- What's a good way to practice adding to 20 at home?
- Use small objects — buttons, crackers, blocks — and physically combine two piles, counting the whole group out loud. Once that's solid, practice "counting on": starting at the bigger number and counting up by the smaller one.
- Is making ten a good trick for numbers like 8 + 7?
- Yes — 8 and 2 make 10, with 5 left over from the 7, giving 10 and 5 more, which is 15. It's a useful shortcut once counting-on is comfortable, but the physical counting should come first.
- How does Maya teach adding up to 20?
- Maya has the child combine and count real quantities before introducing counting-on or make-ten strategies, so the meaning of "add" is anchored before the shortcuts arrive.
No card needed. The first lesson is free.
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