Stick addition and subtraction is a simple counting strategy where students draw lines to represent numbers and either add or subtract sticks to solve problems. For example, 12 + 2 would be shown as 12 lines + 2 more lines equals 14 total lines. Alternatively, counting up and counting down are strategies where students use their fingers to count to solve addition and subtraction problems. Counting up involves starting at the number being subtracted and counting up to the total number. Counting down uses fingers to represent the number being subtracted from and putting down fingers for the number being subtracted to find the answer.

1. Stick Addition/Subtraction
A very simple counting strategy that students quickly grasp is that of stick
addition and subtraction. For example, 12 + 2 = 14, utilizing stick addition,
would be
I I I I I I I I I I I I + I I = 14
Or 16 – 9 = 7
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
A student would simply pull out a sheet of scratch paper and draw twelve
lines + two additional lines and count them all together for the first
example. In the next example, the student would draw sixteen lines and
subtract nine.
Counting Up & Down
Counting up is an alternative addition strategy in which a student counts up
on their fingers from a number being subtracted to the number it is being
subtracted from. For example, in the problem 16 – 9 the student would
start counting at 10 on their fingers, since 9 is the number being subtracted,
and count up to 16. The number of fingers that the student is holding up
after counting up to 16 is the answer. (This is the easiest method of
counting numbers that exceed the 10 fingers).
Counting down is an alternative subtraction strategy in which a student
holds up the number of fingers to be subtracted from and puts down the
number of fingers to be subtracted. The number of fingers that the student
is holding up afterwards is the answer.