Maths – column addition

Wednesday 27 November 2024

Year 3 have recently learnt how to add two numbers using column addition. Column addition is a great method for when we aren’t able to use reasoning and mental maths to help us add numbers together.

Top tips:


This is what your working out might look like if each column adds up to 9 or less.

We have then learnt what to do if a column totals 10 or more! We use these facts to help us:

10 ones = 1 ten

10 tens = 1 hundred

We must exchange the 10 ones for 1 ten and mark it underneath our answer box and do the same for 10 tens exchanged for 1 hundred.

Here’s some of our work!

Help at home by practising this method. Can you add two 3-digit numbers using column addition?

Moortown Primary School, Leeds
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