For parents
Addition to 10 with blocks: a simple game at home
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Addition can be shown by joining two groups. Before writing an equation, let your child move the blocks and check how many there are altogether. This short activity can end after one example or grow into a story you make up together.
Gather a few materials
You need 10 large blocks and two sheets of paper or mats. Choose pieces suitable for your child’s age. Put other toys aside so each counted object is easy to point to. You do not need a timer or printed worksheet. If counting to 10 is still difficult, begin with totals up to 5.
Show 3 + 2 step by step
Place three blocks on one sheet and two on the other. Ask your child to count each group, touching every block once. Then slide both groups into one shared space. Ask, “How many blocks do we have altogether?” Count one, two, three, four, five. Only then write 3 + 2 = 5. Explain that the plus sign joins the groups and the equals sign means both sides represent the same number.
Play: two car parks, one garage
Let the sheets be car parks and the blocks be cars. Three cars are in one car park and two in the other. They all drive into a garage. Your child moves them and says how many arrived. Swap roles: let your child choose the groups for you to combine. Keep the total at 10 or fewer. The activity works just as well with plain blocks and no story.
Four problems with explained answers
2 + 1 = 3: add one block to two, then count them all. 4 + 2 = 6: join a group of four and a group of two. 5 + 0 = 5: when nothing is added, the number stays the same. 6 + 4 = 10: bring the groups together and check that they fill ten spaces. Present each problem with objects first and reveal the answer after your child has tried.
When the answer does not match
If a block gets counted twice, move counted blocks to one side. If your child gives only the size of the last group, gesture around all the blocks and ask about the whole collection. There is no need to insist on mental arithmetic. Once counting from one feels easy, try starting at three and counting on “four, five”. Return to touching each object whenever needed.
A small change, the same total
Swap the groups: two blocks and three blocks still make five. Spread the blocks farther apart and count again: extra space does not add objects. Finish by inviting your child to show an example and explain what they joined. Stop when the game is no longer enjoyable.
From the table to Otto Math
After playing, a parent can open the Addition book in Otto Math on iPhone or iPad. It is an optional way to practise problems, not a requirement for this activity. The first five routes in every book are free; further routes require Otto Plus. The app does not replace conversation or handling real objects.