Repeated Addition

One of the prime concepts of mathematical operations in addition. At a very young age, young minds are taught how to perform in addition to live examples. Real-time examples can help kids to figure out the concepts of addition and subtraction. When it comes to repeated addition, they will need a proper description of the process. This section will help you figure out how to teach the kids multiplication as repeated addition and help them build a strong foundation of mathematical operations. For this, the kids must be aware of the concepts of addition. This advanced concept will then become easier to grasp.

What is Addition?

One of the prime mathematical operations that create a foundation in young minds is addition. It is considered to be the beginning of learning mathematical operations once the numerical concept is clear.

An addition is a process where two quantities of a similar object are clubbed to form a single quantity. The outcome of this operation will be the result of the addition performed. For instance, if the student has 2 apples in the right hand and 2 apples in the left, he will have 4 apples when kept together. This is what students need to understand first.

When the student is told to pick two apples at a time and to keep them in a basket, the concept of multiplication as repeated addition will come into the picture. Let us proceed to the description of this concept.

What is Repeated Addition?

Consider this example to understand the concept of repeated addition properly. There is a pile of apples on the table. A student is directed to pick two apples at a time to make 12 apples in a basket. How many times will he pick two apples? Let the student count first. The answer is 6 times. If we elaborate the process in the following way, we will understand what is repeated addition.

The student will pick 2 apples 6 times. Try to write down the number of apples the student picked every time, one after the other, with an addition sign in between them. The mathematical expression will look like this.

2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 12

This is how repeated addition can be executed. It is time to proceed to understand what multiplication is repeated is called. Now that we have figured that he has picked apples 6 times,  follow the next step and write down a mathematical expression like this.

2 × 6 = 12

Picking up 2 apples 6 times will result in 12 apples in the basket. Now, the number ‘2’ represents the apples he has picked every time and the number ‘6’ represents the times he has picked apples from the pile. This is how multiplication as repeated addition works.

These examples can be cited from any domain. Make sure the examples are real-time and can be correlated with daily life.

How Can You Explain Multiplication with Repeated Addition?

The young minds have already studied tables to some extent. Use simplest examples to introduce tables and help them understand how repeated addition of the same number is called multiplication. You will find it easier to help students realize that multiplication is the outcome of repeated addition.

In the class, use placards of single digits. Let us explain how this can be executed in the class. Pick two students as cited in the previous example. Pick 6 times and tell the class to count. You must prepare a placard or can use the board to show the sign of multiplication and the number ‘6’ for convenience.

The students will count till 6 and they will find that 12 students have accumulated in one corner of the class. Now, take two students closer to the board. Write × 6 = beside them. Bring those 12 students on the other side of the board after the ‘=’ sign. The answer is 12 and the entire class will be able to understand it. This is how you can explain that multiplication is repeated addition.

Conclusion

The concept of addition multiplication is quite fascinating for young kids. It can be intimidating for a few. The best methods followed by the best mathematics teachers include figurines, boards, flashcards, placards, or any kind of props. In this section, an innovative method has been explained to you so that you can easily define it to the kids. Let them figure out the concept where multiplication is an addition in a repeated format on their own. This way offsetting an example will get imprinted in their mind. A strong foundation of such questions will be built.

The students will also be able to fill up the blanks of tricky questions where the concept multiplication is dash addition is used. This is how you can make basic mathematics classes for teaching addition and multiplication more interesting.