Teaching Numbers 1-10: A Kindergarten Counting Strategy

Children's fingers can be a tool for teaching children to count to 1-10

Teaching Numbers 1-10

What I love about teaching is that I’m as much a student as I am a teacher, because there’s always something new to learn. I recently discovered a strategy for teaching numbers 1-10 that will forever stay in my math “toolbox.”

Here’s how it works, along with a few ideas, activities, and tips for teaching with this strategy.

Five and Some More

In our math program, numbers 1-5 are taught in a traditional way. We learn to write each numeral and understand its value by making sets and working with different configurations.

But when we get to numbers 6-10, the value of each number is taught as “five and some more,” so that 6 is 5 and 1 more, 7 is 5 and 2 more, and so on up to 10.

When I first encountered this strategy, I could easily see the benefits in working with this base of 5 to support children in learning how to subitize, count on, and do basic addition.

Here are some of the tools I now use in kindergarten to teach numbers 6-10 as “Five and some more.”

Whole Group Instruction

I use felt board pieces, laid out in a ten-frame configuration (5 on top, 5 on bottom), to support children in seeing 5 +1 = 6.

With practice, they learn to see the top row as “5,” without having to count the set, and then count on one more to arrive at “6.”

felt board pieces in a ten frame configuration work well for teaching numbers 1-10

“Counting hands” can also be used to demonstrate this concept and include a color change at 6 to signify the use of this strategy.

When autumn arrives, we change the “hands” to “trees.”

leaves on a felt board teaching counting on while teaching numbers 1-10

I also use a Rekenrek to show this strategy. I model how to touch the whole set of red beads and say, “5,” and then to count on using the white beads.

using a rekenrek to teach counting on, place value and numbers 1-10

Lastly, a number staircase can also be used to illustrate this counting on strategy. This was made using 2 boards, dowels, and pool noodles. Read more about Number Staircases!

Small Group Instruction

With each new number introduced, we use this Counting Hands Math Mat (free inside the Number Sense Toolkit below), along with two different-colored counters, to give children “hands-on” practice with this strategy. Here they are exploring “7” as 5 and 2 more.

They also scatter the set of 7 on a white board and then connect the counters to create a counting path with a color change happening at 6.

Pencil and Paper Practice for Numbers 1-10

Once I’ve modeled this representation in several ways, and the kids have replicated it with hands-on materials, we move on to pencil and paper practice.

First, we make this Five and Some More Counting Book , where kids color pictures to show the configuration within a ten frame and on a set of counting hands. They also practice verbalizing the number sentence out loud.

We then use these Trace and Write 1-10 Worksheets to practice numeral writing and to show configurations using ten frames, snap cubes, dice and counting hands.

Math Warm-Ups

The above resource also includes different sets of flashcards for numbers 1-10 that we use for daily math warm-ups. It includes:

Numerals 1-10
Counting Hands
Ten Frames
Dice
Dominoes

We continue to use these for practice and review even after we’ve moved on to numbers 11-20.

Beyond Teaching Numbers 1-10

This strategy supports children beyond teaching numbers 1-10 in understanding the concept of place value and makes it much easier for them to visualize 11 as 10 and one more, as we begin to explore the teen numbers.

While this strategy was new learning for me, it may not have been for you. How have you used it in your teaching of numbers 1-10? Please feel free to reach out – I’d love to hear from you!

In the meantime, download your free Number Sense Toolkit to receive the Counting Hands Math Mat shown above, along with math mats and games you can use during your math block.