Nyle adding two digit numbers

(written on 10/21/17 but published to the wrong place)

Nyle has been asking for me to give him math problems, so I decided to teach him to add two digit numbers.  To start I gave him one to work out:  "What is 13 plut 25?," I asked and wrote it down.  He thought for a few moments and then gave the answer, 38.  His answer came faster than I expected if he were counting, so I thought maybe he knows the algorithm already that I was planning to teach him (add each digit separately).  I asked, "How did you get the answer?"  He said, "Well, I knew that 13 was 2 less than 15, and 15 plus 25 is 40, so I went 40...39...38."

Needless to say, I was thrilled to see his comfort and intuition with math.