Grades K–2 · Math · Free sample
Counting Collections: Groups of Ten
About 25 minutes
Children gather a pile of small objects and discover why grouping by tens makes big numbers easy to count.
Your child will
- Count objects up to 50 (or 100 for 2nd grade)
- Group objects into tens and ones
- Say a number as 'tens and ones'
You'll need
- A bowl of 30–100 small items (dried beans, buttons, blocks)
- 10 small cups or sticky notes
- Paper and crayon
Step by step
- 1
Guess first
Pour out the collection. Ask, "How many do you think there are?" Write the guess down — guessing is part of the fun.
- 2
Count by ones
Count everything one by one together. Notice how easy it is to lose track.
- 3
Make tens
Now fill each cup with exactly 10 items. Leftovers stay outside the cups.
- 4
Count again
Count the cups by tens (10, 20, 30…) and then add the leftovers by ones. Compare with your guess and first count.
- 5
Draw it
Draw a circle for each cup and a dot for each leftover. Write the number underneath: "4 tens and 3 ones is 43."
Keep going
Tomorrow, try a new collection and let your child decide whether to group by twos, fives or tens — and explain which was fastest.
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