Make addition practise sweet and fun with our Cookie Jar Sums: Addition to 20! This hands-on resource provides an engaging way for students to consolidate addition skills through sorting and matching. With a deliciously playful theme, students will love solving each sum and placing the ‘cookie’ into the correct jar - perfect for reinforcing number facts to 20 in a highly visual and interactive way.

The activity is simple to prepare and easy to use across a range of learning contexts. Students select a cookie, solve the addition problem displayed, and match it to the corresponding cookie jar showing the correct sum. For added support, encourage students to use counters or manipulatives as ‘little cookies’ to help represent and solve each problem. This makes the resource highly adaptable for different learners and supports visual and tactile understanding of addition.

Cookie Jar Sums: Addition to 20 is ideal for use in small groups, independent practise, or maths rotations. The game-like nature of the activity promotes student engagement while providing plenty of opportunities to build fluency and confidence with addition facts. It’s also a great resource to have on hand for early finisher tasks or intervention groups!

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Develop fluency with addition facts to 20
• ✅ Strengthen understanding of number relationships and number bonds
• ✅ Promote flexible thinking and strategic problem-solving
• ✅ Build visualisation and conceptual understanding of addition
• ✅ Foster independence and mathematical confidence through hands-on learning

What’s Included:

• Set of cookies featuring addition problems to 20
• Matching cookie jar mats with target sums
• Teacher tips and ideas for classroom use and differentiation

Materials Needed:

• Printed cookies and cookie jar mats (preferably on thick cardstock for durability)
• Scissors
• Storage containers or zip-lock bags for easy organisation
• Optional manipulatives (counters or ‘little cookies’) to support problem-solving
• Laminator (optional) for long-lasting use

How to Use:

1. Print and prepare the cookie pieces and matching jar mats.
2. Introduce the activity to students and model how to solve and sort the cookies.
3. Students select a cookie, solve the addition problem, and place it into the jar showing the correct sum.
4. Encourage students to use counters or manipulatives if they need extra support in solving the problems.
5. Use the activity during small group rotations, as an independent task, or with early finishers.
6. Challenge students to explain their thinking and check their answers for accuracy.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use in small group rotations to reinforce addition fluency in a playful way.
• 💡 Set up as an independent centre activity for self-paced practise.
• 💡 Include in early finisher tubs for ongoing consolidation of addition facts.
• 💡 Pair with manipulatives to support concrete understanding of number combinations.
• 💡 Encourage students to create their own ‘cookie sums’ to extend the activity and challenge their peers.

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Laminate the cookies and jar mats for repeated use throughout the year.
• 💛 Store pieces in clearly labelled containers to keep the activity organised and accessible.
• 💛 Provide number lines, ten frames, or counters for students who benefit from additional visual supports.
• 💛 Differentiate by adjusting the range of sums or targeting specific addition facts based on student readiness.

Cookie Jar Sums: Addition to 20 is a fun and flexible way to build addition fluency and number confidence. Students will love the playful sorting activity while you’ll love the opportunities it provides for meaningful practise and mathematical discussion!

This resource pairs perfectly with our:

- addition to 10

- subtraction to 10

- subtraction to 20