Maths · Kindergarten–Grade 1
Free Montessori addition strip board worksheets
Free printable Montessori addition strip board set for kindergarten and grade 1: the board, blue and red strips to cut out, addition tables 1 to 9 with answer keys, a recording sheet, the subtraction board with cover strips and tables.
Printable addition strip board
The board itself: 18 numbered columns with the red line after 10 and eighteen rows of squares, with a worked example. Print on card. Free printable PDF.
Blue and red strips to cut out
Nine blue strips and nine segmented red strips sized to the board, ready to cut. Free printable PDF.
Whole set
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Addition tables of 1 to 5 (answer key)
The tables of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (each n + 1 to n + 9) to work out on the board and record. Answer key on page 2. Free printable PDF.
Addition tables of 6 to 9 (answer key)
The tables of 6, 7, 8 and 9 to work out on the board and record. Answer key on page 2. Free printable PDF.
Strip board recording sheet
Twenty-four blank facts to record from the board, with a picture of a strip pair as a reminder. Free printable PDF.
Printable subtraction strip board
The subtraction variant with the covered zone shaded, plus a worked 12 minus 4 example. Free printable PDF.
Natural cover strips to cut out
Seventeen wood-colored strips (1 to 17) sized to the board, used to cover numbers on the subtraction strip board. Free printable PDF.
Subtraction tables 10 to 18 (answer key)
Take-away facts from 10 to 18, the facts the subtraction board is built for. Answer key on page 2. Free printable PDF.
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The addition strip board is the Montessori material for learning the addition facts to 18. A blue strip stands for the first number, a red strip for the number added, and the sum is simply the number printed above the end of the red strip. Children work through the "tables" (all the 1 + n facts, then 2 + n, and so on), record each fact, and by the end of the tables know them by heart without ever having been drilled. This set is a paper version of the material: the board itself, both sets of strips to cut out, the tables to record, a blank recording sheet, and the subtraction board with its natural cover strips and tables. Print the board and strips on card and the set will last a year of daily work.
What's in this set
- Printable addition strip board. Eighteen numbered columns with the red line after 10 and eighteen rows of squares, with a worked 5 + 3 example under it.
- Blue and red strips to cut out. Nine blue strips (1 to 9) and nine red strips divided into squares, sized to the board.
- Addition tables of 1 to 5. Each table lists n + 1 to n + 9 with a box for the sum. Answer key on page 2.
- Addition tables of 6 to 9. The harder tables, same layout. Answer key on page 2.
- Strip board recording sheet. Twenty-four blank facts (blue + red = sum) for the child's own work, with a picture of a strip pair as a reminder.
- Natural cover strips. Seventeen wood-colored strips (1 to 17) for the subtraction board.
- Printable subtraction strip board. The same grid with the covered zone shaded and a worked 12 minus 4 example.
- Subtraction tables 10 to 18. Take-away facts from 10 to 18, the facts the subtraction board is designed for. Answer key on page 2.
The strip board comes after the bead stair in the Montessori sequence and before the stamp game; see the Montessori worksheets page for the other materials.
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Teaching tips and common mistakes
How to use these worksheets
Print the board and the two strip pages on card, or glue them to cardboard, and cut the strips out with the child. Keep the blue and red strips in separate envelopes. Then work one table at a time, over days, not in one sitting.
- Build a fact. Lay the blue 5 along the top row from the left edge. Put the red 3 against its end. Read the number above the end of the red strip: 8. Say the whole fact: "five plus three is eight".
- Work a table. On the tables sheet, start with the table of 1: blue 1 with red 1, then red 2, red 3, up to red 9. Each row of the board holds one fact, so the child sees the staircase of sums grow. Write each sum in its box.
- Record. Older children copy finished facts onto the recording sheet. The act of writing "6 + 4 = 10" after building it is where the memorizing happens.
- Check. Page 2 of each tables sheet has the answers. Let the child check their own work; this is the Montessori "control of error".
- Subtraction. To take 4 from 12, cover 13 to 18 with the natural 6-strip, then lay the blue 4 so it ends under 12. The last number showing is 8. Work the subtraction tables the same way, one minuend (10, then 11...) at a time.
- Notice the red line. Every sum that lands past the red line is a teen number. Children discover on their own that 9 + 1, 8 + 2 and 7 + 3 all reach exactly 10.
Common mistakes to watch for
- Counting squares instead of reading the number. Fine at first; the goal is to trust the number at the top. Point to it after each build.
- Strips not flush against each other. A gap between blue and red gives a sum one too high. "Push them together until they touch."
- Starting the blue strip away from the edge. The blue strip always starts at the left edge of the board.
- Racing through the tables. One table a day is the intended pace. Nine days for addition, and the facts stick.
Frequently asked questions
What age is the addition strip board for?
About 5 to 6, kindergarten and first grade, after the child can count to 18 confidently and has done the bead stair addition to 10. Older children who never memorized their facts also benefit from a few weeks with it.
Do I need the wooden material?
No. The printed board and card strips work the same way. If you have the wooden material, use these sheets for the tables and recording, which is what the paper is for in a Montessori classroom.
Why are the numbers 1 to 9 red and 10 to 18 blue?
The color change at 10 shows the child that sums beyond the red line are a ten and some more. It is the first meeting with regrouping, without anyone saying the word.
Do these worksheets include answer keys?
Yes, the three tables sheets (addition 1 to 5, addition 6 to 9, subtraction 10 to 18) have the answers on page 2. The board, strips and recording sheet have nothing to mark.
What comes after the strip board?
The subtraction strip board (included), then the addition and subtraction charts for memorization, and the stamp game for operations with larger numbers.
More Montessori math
The materials that come before this one: number rods, sandpaper numerals, the bead stair and the golden beads. After it: the teen and ten boards, the hundred board and the stamp game. For the same facts without the material, try the number bonds worksheets and the addition worksheets.
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