One of the most important skills a parent can give to their child is the ability to listen and respond. Making up short stories together is a great way to do this. It is also important do do this in mathematics. By spending time together building up a story, your child is learning to understand that numbers and signs (such as the + sign) having meaning in the real world. It is also important that the parent has a go too: by taking part in a two-way process children are also learning to listen and take their turn. It can get quite competitive as children like to to make up more and more imaginative and inventive stories; but make sure that the maths is correct. The numbers could be numbers of anything from gold coins to pink ponies, but the pages supply some basic ideas for those who get completely 'stuck'. Go to Making addition number stories