Dominoes are easily my favorite math manipulative. I especially love introducing and teaching addition with dominoes. Not only is it a very concrete method that is easy for students to grasp, but it helps them practice their subitizing skills. STEP 1:
I like to start by introducing dominoes as NUMBER BONDS (think "part-part-whole)
I usually do this in small groups or centers so that I can do a few with the students before they begin working independently. Students can either use the dominoes printed on the page or pull dominoes from a bag (my favorite method!). 
This helps them understand the relationship between counting and quantities and well as decomposing "larger" numbers into parts.
An added bonus is: the more they practice this, the faster they get at SUBITIZING numbers.
What is subitizing you say?
SUBITIZING is knowing at a glance how many objects (in this case dots) are represented without guessing or estimating.
Think of being able to subitize as a similar skill to sight word recognition. When the brain can identify the quantity of grouped objects it uses less energy than counting 1 to 1.
STEP 2: Now we throw in the NUMBER SENTENCE or addition sentence as it relates to the part-part-whole of a domino (or any number!). This seems simple, but can be surprisingly tricky for some as they learn that NUMBER ORDER is important!
STEP 3:
By this stage you should notice students subitizing coming along as they are beginning to recognize the PATTERNS they see on the dominoes. (Like I said, my favorite math manipulative!)
STEP 4:Introduce the COMMUTATIVE PROPERTY OF ADDITION (3+4=4+3) using dominoes. As my students say "this is easy peazy" because you simply flip the domino. (genius!)
Want to try these resources for yourself? Check out my Domino Bundle or different domino sets on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Thank you and Happy Teaching :)
Miss Molly
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