MathsFreePrintable

Mental Addition Strategies

A free maths worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.

Download now

Name:Date:

Mental Addition Strategies

Choose efficient mental strategies to add. Show your thinking where asked.

Choose a strategy

1.Which approach is most efficient for calculating 58 + 27 mentally?

Add 2 to 58 to make 60, then add the remaining 25
Double 58 and subtract 27
Count backwards from 58 by 27
Add 20 to 58, then stop

2.Which strategy is a quick choice for 46 + 47?

Double 46, then add 1
Double 46, then subtract 1
Add 10 to each number
Count on from 1

3.To find 68 + 35 by bridging to the next ten, what is a useful first step?

Move 2 from 35 to 68, making 70 + 33
Move 3 from 68 to 35, making 65 + 38
Subtract 5 from both numbers
Double 35 and add 68

4.Which one addition is an exact double?

64 + 65
42 + 58
37 + 37
81 + 26

Work it out mentally

5.Calculate 58 + 27 by making the next ten. Write the adjustment and your total.

6.Use a near double to calculate 46 + 47. Show the double you used and the final answer.

7.A beach clean-up team collects 38 shells in the morning and 45 in the afternoon. Find the total using a mental strategy and show your steps.

8.Jai buys a reusable bag for $18 and a drink bottle for $26. What is the total cost? Use a mental strategy and record the steps.

Check your learning

9.Name a mental addition strategy and explain how it can make an addition calculation easier.

10.Rate your confidence with mental addition from 1 (not yet confident) to 5 (very confident). Then write one specific strategy you will practise next time.