Let's Talk Ten Frames!

Ten frames have become one of my favorite math tools in this classroom this year! I love how versatile they are and how they can be adapted to teach so many math skills... especially those in the Common Core!

We started using ten frames very early on in the school year to work on counting. Even before I explained to the kids what a ten frame is, we used them to lay out our manipulatives during counting practice. They started to see that there were ten boxes on their counting mat and, before long, they were able to recognize how many objects they had laid out without having to actually count!  Hello subitizing!

This year I also hung new number posters on the wall that have ten frames on them... I love having these posters up because the kids can refer to them anytime and they are able to see the ten frame formations for each number.

Now that we've moved into making number combinations, and will soon be working on addition, ten frames have become my best friend during math! We are using them in so many ways... our favorite this week has been a build-it game using two ten frames and number cards 0-20. My kiddos draw out 2 cards and build one number on the ten frame using one color unifix cubes, then add the second number onto the frame using a different color unifix cubes. Then, they see how many they have all together. They've caught on really well!

We are also loving Ten Frame Bingo!

If you need some ten frame activities to use in your classroom, check out my Ten Frame Fun pack!