Visuals make it much easier for students to transition to feeling comfortable with addition as a math skill. By using visuals students have something tangible that they can point to as they better understand the addition operation. The worksheets below will progress with every step you take further down the page. We would suggest the Color and Sum worksheet as a nice starting point for students. You will notice a lot of color on these sheets. If you are looking for black and white, just scroll down because we have you covered. We have a large number of addition sheets, just navigate to the top left of this page. We will be adding more over the next couple of weeks too.
Print Visual Addition Worksheets
Click the buttons to print each worksheet and associated answer key.
Great Tomato Lesson
Count the first group of tomatoes. The first group has 4 tomatoes. Count the second group of tomatoes. The second group has 2 tomatoes. To find the sum of 4 and 2, count all the tomatoes together.
The Butterfly Addition
Count the first group of butterflies. The first group has 2 butterflies. Count the second group of butterflies. The second group has 2 butterflies. To find the sum of 2 and 2, count all the butterflies together.
Worksheet 2
This is a manual adding worksheet that includes the use of glasses, clothes, blankets, puppies, pears, monkeys, clocks, swans, cups, and elephants.
Practice the Skill
This turns out to be a multiplication worksheet. Which is great for students that are just crusing through this skill.
Introduction Worksheet
Put a check mark inside the box if the addition performed below is correct. If the addition performed is incorrect, then make a cross out inside the box. This is perfect to just get the kids started with this type of thinking.
Color and Sum
Count the blue and red squares. Fill in the corresponding boxes with numbers. Like we said in the introduction this is where you start with students that have no concept of this skill.
Color and Sums 2
This is the next progression in the series. The sums are larger as well as the addends. Put the addition worksheet to work for you.
Worksheet 2
This is a different way of looking at the problem. The squares are overwhelming with one of the colors.
Skill Lesson
We work off of segments of these box structure. There is nothing for students to do here it is all worked out for them.
Lesson and Practice Problems
Add the blocks to write the missing number. There is also a fully worked out example for students.
Practice Worksheet 2
Use the pink and blue blocks to determine the sum and write the missing number.
Simple Picture Addition
There is plenty of space to work on this worksheet. This is great if you want students to number each of the boxes with tick marks.
Warm Up or Cool Down
Which ever you prefer to go with. This can be used as review or an introductory sheet.
Picture Addition: Worksheet 2
This sheet is streamlined for left and right work. This also works great with just about any printer or copier.
Picture Addition: Review
Use the example as a reminder of what they are looking for and then practice this skill by completing the problems.
Do Now
A great all around class activity. It is best to use this the day after you already introduced this topic.
What is Visual Addition?
For a long time, mathematics educators have found that engaging students and helping them learn through visual representations can be helpful for their learning. Visual addition is another form of learning known to help young children understand how addition works and get the hang of it.
Which of these is it easier for you to comprehend, if you had zero knowledge of the concept of addition?
7 + 5 = 12
or
Contrary to what people believe, visual mathematics is not only used in abstract mathematics. Visual addition is a form of mathematics where students are made to work with physical manipulatives as well as drawings that can help them with visual addition.
Visual addition helps children begin understand numerical numbers and can help students of all ages. However, it is usually used for small children so that they can understand how addition functions.
According to a study by Joonko Park and Elizabeth Brannon (2013), powerful learning starts to occur when different areas of the brain are used. This means that when children use symbols like numbers to learn, they use a different part of the brain. However, when they use spatial and visual information to learn, such as dots and characters, another part of the brain is being used.
The study found that when two areas of the brain were communicating with each other, performance and learning were optimized in mathematics, especially with visual addition. Moreover, the math performance of students was able to improve as visual training helped them stay engaged and interested.
The Benefits of Teaching with Visual Addition
1. Questions Make More Sense to Children
All kids have to solve addition problems that start with some random guy purchasing 200 grapes. Even though these word problems are funny for us adults, we need to visualize the scenario to understand the problem.
If the student has no idea what the grapes look like, they might not be able to understand what 200 grapes would mean. Before students solve any mathematical problem, they need to understand the problem. Visuals, especially visual addition, help make sense of the problem so that they can solve it with ease.
For example, if there is an addition problem that students have to solve, to proceed with visual addition, you will have to make a picture of the subject on the board for them. If the problem talks about bicycles, draw bicycles on the board before getting them to solve the problem.
2. Real-Life Connections Can Be Made
Visual addition helps people connect problems to real-life situations. For example, when children are adding or subtracting numbers, they can use real-life objects like doughnuts or hair clips to help them visualize the problem. This would allow them to see what is happening in the situation and also how the situation would take place in real life.
As a teacher, you should try to connect each problem to a real-life situation. You can connect the addition sums to fruits, toys, stationery, and any other handy products that could be used to demonstrate the problem.
3. Supports Students with Disabilities
When students are struggling to learn a concept, especially addition, math visuals work as a powerful tool. They can understand the most complex problems with the help of visuals, making them easier for them to solve.
Visual addition can also help students break down complex problems into manageable solutions. As children learn to solve addition questions at a young age, they become better at them as they grow up, and soon, they will not need any visual aid to solve the toughest of questions.