Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to add and subtract numbers within 10.

Materials and Prep

• Counting objects (e.g., buttons, blocks, or toys)
• Number flashcards (0-10)
• Paper and crayons

Before starting this lesson, make sure you are familiar with counting numbers from 1 to 10.

Activities

1. Activity 1: Count and Add

   Take a handful of counting objects (e.g., buttons) and count them together. Then, add more objects to the pile and count the new total. Encourage the student to say the new total out loud.

2. Activity 2: Subtract and Count

   Start with a pile of counting objects (e.g., blocks). Count them together and then remove some objects from the pile. Count the remaining objects out loud with the student.

3. Activity 3: Drawing Equations

   Give the student a piece of paper and crayons. Ask them to draw an addition equation (e.g., 2 + 3 =) and illustrate it with pictures or dots. Repeat the same for subtraction equations (e.g., 5 - 2 =).

Preschool Grade Talking Points

• "Adding means putting things together, like when we have 2 blocks and we add 3 more blocks, we get a total of 5 blocks."
• "Subtracting means taking away, like when we have 5 buttons and we take away 2 buttons, we are left with 3 buttons."
• "We can draw addition and subtraction equations to help us understand numbers better. Let's draw some together!"