Give each student a handful of colorful candy pieces. Place them onto a paper towel or napkin to avoid transferring germs from a desk onto the edible candy.
Instruct each student to count out a number of candies coinciding with the first number in the addition sequence. Group them into one pile. Count and group candies displaying the second number in the sequence into a separate pile. For example: For 3 + 5, Group 1 equals three candy pieces; Group 2 equals five candy pieces.
Tell students to count each pile again to double-check for accuracy and that each pile represents the numbers in the addition equation. Push the two piles together and count the candy pieces as one pile. The number reached is the answer to the addition problem. For example, if Groups 1 and 2 together equal eight candy pieces, the problem is 3 + 5 = 8.
Instruct students to count out the number of candy pieces coinciding with the first number in the subtraction sequence and place them into one pile. For example, count out 10 candy pieces. Count again to ensure accuracy.
Instruct students to take the number of candy pieces as stated by the second number in the subtraction problem. Form those candies into a separate pile. If 10 candy pieces are in the first large group, have students take four candy pieces from the pile. This represents 10 - 4.
Tell students to count the number of candy pieces in the original group, after they took out the second number of pieces, to arrive at the answer to the subtraction problem. For instance, 10 candies, with four taken away, equals 6 candy pieces remaining, or 10 - 4 = 6.