How to Teach Regrouping (Borrowing and Carrying)
Regrouping is where most Year 2 maths wobbles start. Teach it with base-ten blocks, not tricks — here's the sequence that actually works.
Regrouping — the thing adults still call 'borrowing and carrying' — is the single biggest jump in primary maths after addition itself. A child who was confidently doing 24 + 35 last week suddenly gets 28 + 37 wrong because the tens column needs a new digit from somewhere. That 'somewhere' is the hurdle.
The fix is base-ten blocks, every time. Don't start with the written algorithm. Give the child a pile of ones blocks and tens rods, do the addition physically, and let them watch as ten ones get swapped for one ten. Once they've seen the swap happen three times, the algorithm on paper becomes a translation of something they already understand.
The classic mistake is teaching regrouping as a trick. 'Carry the one' works until the child meets a problem where the pattern doesn't fit, and then the whole structure falls apart. Base-ten first, written method second, speed third.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is regrouping in math?+
Rearranging the parts of a number when adding or subtracting. In addition, ten ones become one ten (carrying). In subtraction, one ten becomes ten ones (borrowing).
What age is regrouping taught?+
Year 2 for addition with regrouping, Year 2 to 3 for subtraction with regrouping. It's the biggest leap in Key Stage 1 maths.
Why do kids struggle with borrowing?+
Because it reverses the usual column order. Kids have to cross out, add to another column, and then subtract — three steps instead of one. Break it into those three steps explicitly.
Should I use place value blocks?+
Yes, for at least the first two weeks. Regrouping makes sense physically before it makes sense on paper. Skipping this step is why children fail regrouping tests.