Understand that the charge of an ion is determined by the difference between the number of protons (positive charges) and electrons (negative charges).
Recall that a neutral sodium atom (Na) has 11 protons and 11 electrons, resulting in no net charge (0).
When sodium forms an ion, it loses one electron to achieve a more stable electron configuration, typically resembling the nearest noble gas.
Losing one electron means the sodium ion now has 11 protons but only 10 electrons, resulting in a net positive charge.
Therefore, the charge of the sodium ion (Na^+) is +1.