Column addition practice
Column addition lines numbers up by place value and adds one column at a time. Noggli practises it from 41 + 3 all the way to adding decimals.
What your child practises
- Year 2add a two-digit number and ones
- Year 3add numbers with up to three digits
- Year 4add numbers with up to four digits using columns
- Year 5add whole numbers with more than four digits
- Year 6add decimals with up to two decimal places
Mix-ups Noggli looks out for
- Forgets to carry when adding in columns
How column addition works
Write the numbers with ones under ones, tens under tens and so on. Add the ones first. If they make 10 or more, write the ones digit and carry the ten into the next column.
For decimals, line up the decimal points. 6.3 + 4.49 is easier written as 6.30 + 4.49.
Where it fits
Children add two-digit numbers in Year 2, three-digit numbers in Year 3 and four-digit numbers with columns in Year 4. Bigger numbers come in Year 5, and decimals in Year 6.
Helping at home
- Say the place value out loud: "carry one ten", not just "carry one".
- Estimate first so a wildly wrong answer stands out.
- Squared paper keeps the columns straight.
Made for children who worry about getting it wrong
A clue, not a cross
A wrong answer gets a clue and another go. A second miss shows how it works, step by step.
No clock
Nothing counts down. Confidence first, speed follows on its own.
The right level
After a few questions Noggli knows where your child is, and every question after that adapts.
Related practice
Questions parents ask
What is column addition?
A written method where numbers are lined up by place value and added one column at a time, starting from the ones and carrying into the next column when a column adds up to 10 or more.
Why does my child forget to carry?
Forgetting to carry is the most common slip in column addition. Noggli spots it and gives a clue about the column that went over 10.
What year do children learn column addition?
The column method is introduced in Year 3 for three-digit numbers and used for four-digit numbers in Year 4.
Practise this every day, at the right level
Noggli works out where your child is in every topic and adjusts each question to suit. Free, with no timers, no scores and no child accounts.