NCERT Maths Mela, Class 3, textbook pages 29–43

How to teach Class 3 Maths Chapter 4, Vacation with My Nani Maa, at home

Adding and subtracting to 100, taught with things you already have at home: a 10-minute activity, a game for the week, a 5-day plan and the mistakes to watch for.

385863+20+538 + 25 = 63

NCERT Class 3 Maths Chapter 4 Vacation with My Nani Maa: what it teaches

Stories with Nani Maa carry lots of adding and subtracting to 100: sweets, books, stamps and apples. The chapter pushes mental strategies: making 10, jumping on a number line, using a 100 grid, and estimating before working it out.

Why it matters later. Fast mental addition and subtraction to 100 makes 3-digit sums in Chapter 12 and multiplication in Chapter 7 much easier.

See it: this chapter in pictures

?15 in all, 9 showing: 6 hidden
Nani Maa’s trick is really about number pairs.
3132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253545556575859606162636465666768697034 + 23: down 2 rows, right 3 = 57
On the 100 grid, one row down is 10 more.
38 + 25about 40 + 30 = 70?closer: 40 + 25 = 65exact: 63
Round to the nearest ten to estimate.

You need

  • seeds or beans
  • a handkerchief
  • a 1–100 grid
  • number cards 1 to 10 (paper)

Tonight’s 10 minutes

  1. Nani Maa’s trick: put 15 seeds out, hide some under a handkerchief. Your child counts the visible ones and says how many are hidden.
  2. Solve 38 + 25 on a number line: jump 20, then 5. Then try 62 − 27 by jumping back.
  3. On the 100 grid, moving down one row is +10. Add 34 + 23 by going down 2 rows and right 3.
  4. Before any sum, ask “About how much will it be?” Then work it out and compare.

Words to use

  • sum
  • total
  • difference
  • more
  • less
  • estimate
  • jump
  • make 10

Watch for

  • Always using fingers for small facts. Practise pairs to 10 and doubles daily with the hidden-seeds trick.
  • Estimate becomes a random guess. Round each number to the nearest ten first: 38 + 25 is about 40 + 30.

What it sounds like at home

A short example of the conversation. Your words will differ; the questions are what matter.

You38 + 25. About how much?

Your childAbout 60.

YouNow jump: 38 plus 20?

Your child58. Then 5 more is 63.

YouClose to your estimate?

Your childYes!

A game for this week: Target 100

  1. Take turns rolling two dice to make a two-digit number.
  2. Add it to your running total.
  3. The first to reach exactly 100 wins; going over means you miss a turn.
  4. Estimate before each addition.

A 5-day plan, 10 minutes a day

  1. Day 1Hidden seeds trick.
  2. Day 2Add on the number line.
  3. Day 3Subtract on the number line.
  4. Day 4Add on the 100 grid.
  5. Day 5Target 100 game.

Everyday moments to practise

  • Adding the bill at a small shop.
  • Pages read over two days.
  • Stamps or cards in a collection.
  • Runs needed to win a match.

Quick check

Ask these at the end of the week. Tap to see the answer.

15 seeds, 9 showing. How many hidden?

6.

38 + 25?

63.

62 − 27?

35.

Ready for the next chapter when your child…

  • Adds and subtracts two-digit numbers mentally or on a number line.
  • Estimates before calculating.
  • Explains a strategy aloud.

Activities, wording and illustrations are Mathify Kids’ own, following the topics of NCERT’s Maths Mela (Class 3). See the full Class 3 parent guide for every chapter.

Questions parents ask

What is Nani Maa’s trick?

Hide some of a known number of seeds; your child finds the hidden number from the visible ones. It practises number pairs.

Which strategies does the chapter use?

Making 10, number line jumps, the 100 grid and estimation.

Should my child write column sums here?

The chapter prefers mental strategies and number lines. Columns come in Chapter 12.