Hands-On Ten Frame Activity

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Numbers in the written form are an abstract concept, but children are not ready for abstract thinking until high school. Use this powerful Hands-On Ten Frame Activity to help your preschool child experience numbers in a concrete and tangible way.

The ten frame will help your child organize objects and keep track of one-to-one correspondence as they count. When kids count to fill a ten frame, they are practicing the association of the number with a group of objects. This ten frame activity will teach your child the shape of each number and what it means in concrete form.

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What is a Ten Frame?

A ten frame is nothing more than a rectangle divided into ten squares. Sometimes it’s called a ten square. The ten frame is used for a variety of mathematical activities for preschool and elementary children. Ten frames can be used to teach counting, addition, subtraction, and on a very basic level even multiplication or division. More than one ten frame can be combined to increase the number of items manipulated as a child develops number sense.

If your student enjoys the hands-on ten frame activity, he or she may also be ready for the Letter Hunt Game for Preschool.

Hands-On Learning for Preschool

Hands-on learning helps your child experience numbers in a way that engages more of the five senses. Multi-sensory learning is one of the most powerful tools of a preschool teacher. Making our ten frame activity a hands-on activity is like turning the learning up a notch. Not that their isn’t a place for worksheets, but whenever possible in preschool, worksheets should be preceded by hands-on activities such as this one.

Variations on the Hands-On Ten Frame Activity

Sidewalk Chalk.

If you have more room outside than you have inside, you could always draw a ten frame using sidewalk chalk and use sticks or rocks to complete this activity outside. Go big. Draw a very large ten frame on a driveway or parking lot and count large objects like soccer balls for a whole-body learning experience using gross motor skills.

Window Markers.

Draw a ten frame on your window using a window marker or window chalk and count vinyl clings to get this activity up off the floor and connect with a holiday or theme.

Bathtub Crayons

Draw a ten frame on the wall of your bathtub using bathtub crayons, have your child throw on some swim clothes, and use bath toys to count, turning this into a fun water activity!

Left-To-Right Tracking with Ten Frames

While working through the hands-on ten frame activity, your student should work from the top left corner across the frame, and then the bottom left corner and across the frame. Left-to-right tracking is an important pre-reading skill for preschool students because it trains the eye for reading, writing, and keeping track.

Whether in math or phonics, students should always be encouraged to work from left to right, top to bottom so that they will not lose their place. Even if your child can keep track working out of order, make sure they use left-to-right progression. It’s an important way of organizing information. As the child learns to read, this will become second nature. Practicing it now prepares the student for future success.

Materials for the Hands-On Ten Frame Activity

• number manipulatives
• small bag
• pom poms (or 10 small toys — we used LEGO® bricks.)
• painters tape

My Favorite Number Manipulatives

• Magnetic Numbers from Chuchik.
• Wooden Numbers from Juvale.
• Foam Magnet numbers from Lauri. (Lauri learning toys are amazing!)
• Transparent Plastic Numbers from Edxecation.
• Number Flashcards from School Zone.

If you do not want to purchase number manipulatives you can also make your own with a printer, paper, and ink!

Instructions for the Hands-On Ten Frame Activity

1. Have your student follow these instructions and do as much of the activity on their own as possible.
2. Place your number manipulatives into the bag and use your painter’s tape to make a 10’s frame on the floor.
3. Have your learner choose a number manipulative from the bag.
4. Then ask your learner to identify the number.
5. Finally, ask your learner to build the number in the 10’s frame with the pom poms (small toys).  Remind your learner to start in the top left corner and work across the grid if needed.
6. Repeat with the remaining numbers in the bag.

Try this fun tally marks activity to add a different hands-on activity to your teaching playbook!