Grade 1 · Math

Grade 1 math

Grade 1 is where numbers stop being something you count on your fingers one by one and start having a shape: tens and ones, facts that add up to ten, patterns you can see. Here is what it covers, where kids usually get stuck, and one way to help.

What your child learns this year

Every curriculum words it differently, but most grade 1 classes cover the same ground:

  • Counting and numbers. Counting, reading and writing numbers to 50 or more (to 120 in the US), and comparing two numbers.
  • Adding and subtracting. Facts to 20, and story problems about joining, taking away and comparing.
  • Tens and ones. Seeing 34 as 3 tens and 4 ones, the start of place value.
  • Shapes and measuring. Naming 2D and 3D shapes, and comparing lengths, often with blocks or paper clips.
  • Patterns and data. Repeating patterns, sorting things, and reading simple graphs.
  • Money. Naming coins and what they are worth (Canadian coins in Canada, American coins in the US).

Where kids usually get stuck

  1. 1Counting everything from 1. For 8 + 5, counting out eight fingers and then five more. It works, but it is slow, and it gets in the way of bigger numbers later.
  2. 2Mixing up 14 and 41. The digits are the same, but the place says what each one is worth: 41 is 4 tens, 14 is just 1 ten.
  3. 3Thinking the equals sign means “the answer comes next”. In 7 = ___ + 3 the answer is 4. Equals means both sides are the same amount.

One of Pip's tricks

Make ten

Use it when adding two numbers when one of them is close to 10, like 8 + 5 or 9 + 6.

  1. Ask how many the bigger number needs to reach 10.
  2. Split the smaller number to give it exactly that much.
  3. Add 10 and whatever is left over.

Watch it work. 8 + 5. The 8 needs 2 to make 10, so split the 5 into 2 and 3. Now 8 + 2 is 10, and 10 + 3 is 13.

Why it works: ten is the easiest number to add to, because our whole number system is built in tens.

Try three

Have a go, then tap to see the answer.

  1. 1.9 + 6 = ?

    Show the answer

    15. The 9 takes 1 from the 6 to make 10, and 10 + 5 = 15.

  2. 2.7 + 4 = ?

    Show the answer

    11. The 7 takes 3 from the 4 to make 10, and 10 + 1 = 11.

  3. 3.Fill in the blank: 7 = ___ + 3

    Show the answer

    4. Both sides must be the same amount, and 4 + 3 is 7.

How Sparkpip fits in

Pip, Sparkpip's tutor, works through problems like these with your child one small step at a time, using tricks like the one above.

Start freeSee how it works

Your curriculum

Sparkpip is built on the grade 1 math curriculum for your province or state. The official pages:

Also: Grade 2 math · Grade 1 science · Grade 1 English