Teaching Math Basics I (Addition) to small (and not so small) children English teachers need to diversify their classes.

Teaching Math basics could be fun for children believe it or not, if done in an easy playful way. With very basic English students the teacher must rely on his mimicry skills. You need to have certain MATERIALS Five plastic see-through cups. A dish we will call "The bank" Twenty one cent coins. (Don't use 5 or 10 cent coins until the student understands the basic concepts.) One addition (+) sign. One multiplication (X) sign (make it a big X) One subtraction (-) sign. One division (/) sign. You may make others. One equals (=) sign The signs could be made of foam or any other material. Post-its would be fine. Five sets of every digit from 0 to 9. One X, one Y and one Z variables. Scotch tape if needed. PROCEDURE: First of all, put all the coins in "The Bank". Addition: Now, take two cups, one next to the other. Put the (+) sign in the middle and the (=) sign at the right. Just next to the (=) put a third cup. Below the third cup put the (x). Put a 1 cent coin out of The Bank in the first cup and another in the second one. Tell the student every cup is a set, in this case a set of 1 cent. Put a digit 1 below the first cup and a digit 1 below the second cup. Prepare your digit 2 for the third cup. Now have him perform the operation starting by removing the x from below the third cup. Then s/he must "pour" the content of the first cup in the third cup and then "pour" the content of the second cup in the third cup. Put your digit 2 under the third cup.

This solves the first problem. You may continue adding more and more and more coins each time. Do not forget to put the variable. A variation could be to put under each set (cup) an A, a B and an X. You may complicate using different letters.