Teaching “Tens and Ones” to kids can be a lot of fun, especially with hands-on and visual activities that help them understand the concept of place value! Here are some effective ways to teach it:
Use Physical Objects
Gather small items (like blocks, beads, or even pasta). Group them into bundles of ten to show how ten single items make up a “ten.” Leave some unbundled to represent the “ones.” For instance, use ten straws tied together as one “ten” and single straws for “ones.”
Place Value Blocks
Place value blocks (often called base-ten blocks) are perfect for illustrating tens and ones. Each “ten rod” represents ten units, and each “one cube” represents a single unit. Let the kids build numbers by combining these blocks to see how tens and ones form numbers.
Drawing Representation
Have kids draw groups of ten (like ten circles in a row) and individual ones next to them to visualize numbers. For example, to represent 23, they would draw two rows of ten circles and three single circles.
Place Value Chart
Introduce a simple place value chart with two columns labeled “Tens” and “Ones.” Show kids how numbers sit in different columns. For example, in the number 45, the “4” goes in the “Tens” column, and the “5” goes in the “Ones” column.
Number Building with Dice or Cards
Roll two dice or use two cards (one for tens and one for ones). The first roll/card can represent the tens place, and the second represents the ones. This helps them see how combining the tens and ones forms a complete number.
Counting Songs and Rhymes
Fun rhymes about counting by tens and adding ones can help kids memorize the concepts. You could sing, “Ten, twenty, thirty… and some more are my ones!”
Interactive Games
Online games or hands-on board games where kids move pieces to make groups of ten (and then add the ones) can reinforce the lesson in an enjoyable way.
Storytelling with Numbers
Create a simple story where characters “find” tens and ones, like a character collecting groups of ten items and single ones. This can help make numbers relatable and fun.
