The plus sign (+) means "add" or "combine." When you see 4 + 2, it means put 4 things and 2 things together to find the total. The answer you get after adding is called the "sum." So 4 + 2 = 6 – the sum is 6. Addition helps us figure out totals in everyday life, like how many toys you have or how many friends came to your party!

3 stars + 2 stars = 5 stars in all. When you add, you can count all the objects together. This is called "counting all." 3 + 2 = 5. The sum is 5. You can also start with the bigger number and count up: start at 3, then count up 2 more: 4, 5. That is even faster!

4 + 6 = 10. That is one of the "make ten" facts! These are very important to memorize because they help you add bigger numbers later. Other friends of ten: 1+9=10, 2+8=10, 3+7=10, 5+5=10. Practice these every day and you will become an addition expert!

7 + 0 = 7. This is called the Identity Property of Addition. Zero is the only number that does this! Try it: 5 + 0 = 5, 10 + 0 = 10, 100 + 0 = 100. The number always stays the same because you are adding nothing.

The turn around fact for 2 + 6 = 8 is 6 + 2 = 8. They both equal 8! This property is very helpful because if you know one addition fact, you automatically know another. It works for all addition: 1+4 = 4+1, 7+3 = 3+7, any numbers!

5 + 5 = 10. Doubles facts are very useful. Once you know your doubles, you can figure out "near doubles" too. For example, if you know 5+5=10, then 5+6 is just one more (11). Practice these doubles: 1+1=2, 2+2=4, 3+3=6, 4+4=8, 5+5=10, 6+6=12, 7+7=14, 8+8=16, 9+9=18, 10+10=20!

2 + 8 = 10, then 10 + 5 = 15. This "make 10 first" trick makes adding three numbers much easier! Always look for number pairs that add to 10: 1+9, 2+8, 3+7, 4+6, 5+5. When you find one, add them first, then add the leftover number.

7 + 4 = 11 children. Word problems help you use addition in real life! The word "more" usually means you need to add. So when you see "4 more come," that means add 4 to what you already have. Great job solving a word problem!

Starting at 6, count up 4 numbers: 7, 8, 9, 10. So 6 + 4 = 10. Number lines are great visual tools for addition. You can use a number line anytime you need to add – just start at the first number and jump forward the second number of times!

9 + 8 = 17. Great job! You can use the "near doubles" strategy: 8 + 8 = 16, and 9 is one more than 8, so 16 + 1 = 17. Or use 10 + 8 = 18, then subtract 1 because 9 is one less than 10: 18 - 1 = 17. There are many strategies! Keep practicing your addition facts, and soon you will know them all by heart!