Tiger Turnaround Facts: Building Confidence in Addition for First Graders
Addition facts can be tricky for young learners, but once they get the hang of it, it opens up a world of flexibility and number sense. One of the most essential skills to work on with first graders is understanding turnaround facts—the idea that when adding two numbers, it doesn't matter what order you add them in. For example, 5 + 4 is the same as 4 + 5.
This skill helps children not only compute faster but also think more creatively about numbers, eventually using this flexibility to solve more complex math problems later on. It’s more than just knowing that two numbers can be added in any order—the goal is for students to experience the concept and internalize how number order can change yet still lead to the same total.
This simple, visual activity helps students solidify their understanding that these two addition sentences are the same, no matter the order.
Display these tiger crafts in the classroom, showcasing their work and reminding them of the different addition facts they’ve learned. It’s also a great tool for future reference! You can revisit this display in the coming weeks, asking students to recall their experiences with turnaround facts. Call on a few students to read one of their “tiger stories” aloud during brain breaks or transitions between lessons!
If you'd like to try this lesson with your own students, you can access
Playful Exploration Before Structure
Before formal strategies are introduced, give students plenty of opportunities to explore. Invite them to make number sets, combine them with others, and model addition in a variety of ways. Play games that encourage students to discover the turnaround concept on their own. Loads of repetition, hands-on combining of numbers within the range of 1 to 10, and fluency-building within 5 can help them grow confident with the turnaround strategy naturally.Tiger Turnaround Cards: A Fun Way to Teach Turnaround Facts
Now that they’re familiar with addition, teach turnaround facts in a more structured way using my Tiger Turnaround Cards from Math Pack 22. These are such a fun addition to math activities! Each card shows a tiger-shaped domino with two dot pattern numbers. The students record the addition fact shown on the domino, then they turn the tiger around to record the alternative addition sentence. For example: 6 + 5 = 11 is also 5 + 6 = 11This simple, visual activity helps students solidify their understanding that these two addition sentences are the same, no matter the order.
A Crafty Way to Review
After recording 9 of these turnaround facts (which gives them a total of 18 individual addition sentences), your students can work on a craft. They can choose one of their tiger dominoes to color, cut out, and record their addition fact. It's a creative and engaging way to wrap up the lesson.Display these tiger crafts in the classroom, showcasing their work and reminding them of the different addition facts they’ve learned. It’s also a great tool for future reference! You can revisit this display in the coming weeks, asking students to recall their experiences with turnaround facts. Call on a few students to read one of their “tiger stories” aloud during brain breaks or transitions between lessons!
If you'd like to try this lesson with your own students, you can access
- the Tiger Turnaround Cards in my TPT store
- more ideas for math and addition on my Math Pack page
- the tiger math craft HERE
Basic Addition Review
For students who are still developing their understanding of basic addition, joining two groups of objects together is a critical step. To support these emergent learners, I’ve included a cute tiger play mat and a fun math rhyme in the Math Kit bundle.
This activity allows students to practice addition in a playful way—rolling a dice twice to generate two groups of cubes to add to the tiger’s tummy. As they combine the cubes, they’ll quietly "roar" the total (no actual tigers allowed!). This hands-on activity helps students grasp the concept of addition in a concrete way, building their confidence before moving on to more advanced strategies like turnaround facts.
I hope these activities help your students experience the flexibility and fluidity of numbers and have a roaring good time!