There are two types of addition situations that children will encounter in Reception.
The first is combining – where two sets are put together to make a new set. Here, the statement ‘I wonder how many there are altogether?’ is appropriate.
The second is counting up, where an original amount is increased resulting in a new total. In counting up it is useful if children can recognise a small number of items without counting.
Children need lots of practical addition opportunities before they are introduced to the formal addition sign. You can help at home by playing board games which involve counting on and providing lots of practical opportunities for addition.