Addition for kids
Putting parts together to find the whole.
Addition is what happens when we join two groups. In Yaze we learn addition the Singapore way: first we hold Yazies in our hands (Concrete), then we draw them as bars and bonds (Pictorial), and only then do we write the equation (Abstract). By the end kids don't just get the right answer — they can explain why.
Counting on means starting from the bigger number and counting forward the smaller amount, rather than counting both sets from one. It is the first real addition strategy, usually around ages four to six, and it is what makes bigger sums possible without endless recounting.
A number bond is the part-part-whole picture of a number: seven is three and four, and also two and five. Knowing the bonds to ten by heart (typically ages five to seven) is the single strongest predictor of fluent mental addition and subtraction later.
Making ten turns a hard fact into an easy one: 8 + 5 becomes 8 + 2 + 3. Children need secure bonds to ten first; this bridging strategy usually lands around ages six to seven and is the foundation of mental arithmetic with larger numbers.
Column addition with regrouping is where place value becomes procedural. Ten ones are bundled into one ten and carried. Children who have physically bundled base-ten blocks (ages six to eight) understand the carry; children who have not, memorise a ritual.