Grade 1
Number Bonds at Home: Part-Part-Whole With Building Blocks
A number bond shows that a whole is made of parts: 6 is 4 and 2, and also 5 and 1, and 3 and 3. Once a child sees numbers this way, addition and subtraction become the same idea seen from two sides.
Build the whole first
Lay six blocks, planks, or crayons in a line and call it the bridge. "Our bridge needs six planks." That is the whole.
- Split the line into two groups. "Four planks here, two planks there. Still six?"
- Ask them to make six a different way. Write each split down as a bond: a circle on top, two below.
- Hide some planks under a cup. "The bridge needs six. I can see four. How many are hiding?" That is subtraction, without the minus sign.
Questions that help more than "what is the answer?"
"How do you know?" "Can you show me another way?" "What would happen if we moved one plank?" These questions keep the child doing the thinking and show you how they see the problem.
From blocks to paper
When splitting real objects feels easy, switch to drawing the bond with dots, then with numbers. The printable starts at the picture stage on purpose.