This slide deck explicitly teaches essential addition and subtraction strategies used in the early years: counting on, counting back, part‑part‑whole, and partitioning. Each strategy is introduced in clear, child‑friendly language and supported with visual models that show students how the mathematics works. The slides guide students through each strategy step by step, prompting them to identify starting points, track number changes, and see how numbers can be broken apart and recombined. 

Teachers value this resource because it:

• Builds conceptual understanding, not just correct answers.
• Models efficient strategies students can reuse independently.
• Supports math talk and student explanation.
• Is easy to revisit across multiple lessons.

Flexible and Creative Uses for Addition and Subtraction Strategies

These addition and subtraction teaching slides can be used in a variety of ways and are flexible enough to support a range of teaching moments beyond a single lesson.

Teachers can use the slides to:

• Strategy‑spotlight sessions: Use one strategy section (e.g. counting on) per lesson rather than the full deck, allowing students to practice deeply and revisit across the week.
• Math talk warm‑ups: Launch a lesson with a “Turn and Talk” problem from the slides to activate prior knowledge and get students explaining their thinking out loud.
• Whole‑class math detective: Display a worked example and ask students to identify which strategy was used and why it worked.

Download the Add and Subtract Within 20 Teaching Slides