Figuring out how to teach tens and units is often that first big "math wall" parents and teachers hit when kids move past basic counting. It's one thing for a child to count to twenty, but it's a whole different ball game for them to understand that the "1" in "12" actually represents ten separate things. If you've ever seen a kid write "102" when they meant "12," you know exactly what I'm talking about.
It's easy to forget how abstract this concept is. We take it for granted because we've been doing it for decades, but for a six-year-old, it's a total shift in how they view the world of numbers. You're basically asking them to stop looking at everything as individual items and start seeing them as groups. Here is a down-to-earth look at how to get this to click without anyone ending up in tears.
Start with the "Rule of Ten"
Before you even pull out a worksheet, you've got to establish the "Room of Ten." I like to tell kids that numbers are a bit like people—they like to hang out together, but once a group gets to ten, they have to move into a bigger house.
One of the most effective ways to show this is by using physical objects. You don't need fancy Montessori equipment for this, though that's great if you have it. Good old-fashioned popsicle sticks or even dry pasta will do the trick. Give them a pile of sticks and ask them to count out ten. Once they have ten, have them wrap a rubber band around the bunch.
This is the "aha" moment. You're showing them that ten individual "units" have now physically become one "ten." It's still ten sticks, but it's also one bundle. If they have thirteen sticks, they'll see they have one bundle and three loose sticks. That visual of the rubber band holding the group together is much more powerful than just writing numbers on a whiteboard.
Why the names of numbers are confusing
Let's be honest, English is pretty annoying when it comes to math. We say "eleven" and "twelve" instead of "ten-one" and "ten-two." This is a huge roadblock when you're trying to figure out how to teach tens and units. Most kids get the hang of twenty-one, twenty-two, and so on, because the name literally tells them what's happening. But those teen numbers? They're a mess.
To help with this, I often use "Math Language" for a bit. If we're looking at the number 14, I'll call it "one ten and four units." It sounds a bit clunky, but it bridges the gap between the symbol and the value. Once they get the concept, you can go back to calling it fourteen. If they're struggling with 11, show them the bundle of ten and the one single unit. Ask them, "How many bundles do we have? One. How many loose ones? One." Then show them the number 11 and point to which digit represents which.
Use a place value mat
If you haven't used a place value mat yet, it's a game changer. It's just a simple piece of paper with two columns: "Tens" on the left and "Units" on the right.
The beauty of the mat is that it provides a "home" for the objects. When you're practicing, always make sure the loose units stay in the right-hand column and the bundles move to the left. If they count ten units in their column, remind them of the rule: "Wait, we have ten! They need to be bundled and moved to the tens house."
Watching that physical movement from the right side to the left side helps reinforce the idea that the position of a number changes its value. You can even draw a little "chimney" on the tens house or something silly to make it stick.
The power of ten frames
Ten frames are those little grids with two rows of five boxes. They're everywhere in primary schools for a reason. They help kids "subitize," which is a fancy way of saying they can recognize a quantity without counting every single dot.
When a kid sees a full ten frame, they don't have to count 1, 2, 3 they just know it's ten. This is huge for teaching place value. If you give them two ten frames—one full and one with three dots—they can instantly see that 13 is just ten and three more.
You can make this a game. Give them a handful of cereal or buttons and have them fill up the ten frames. It makes the abstract concept of "place value" feel like a tangible, tactile activity. Plus, they get to eat the cereal afterward, which is always a win.
Making it a game: Race to 100
If you want to keep them engaged, you've got to make it fun. "Race to 100" is a classic for a reason. All you need is a pair of dice, some base-ten blocks (or your popsicle stick bundles), and a place value mat.
The rules are simple: 1. Roll the dice. 2. Take that many units and put them in your "units" column. 3. As soon as you get ten units, you have to trade them in for a "ten" rod (or bundle) and move it to the tens column. 4. The first person to get ten "tens" (100) wins.
What's great about this is the "trading" part. They start to realize that ten units and one ten are the same amount, just in a different form. It's the foundation for regrouping and "carrying the one" later on. If they forget to trade, you can playfully "call them out" on their overflowing units column.
Common mistakes to look out for
While you're working on how to teach tens and units, you'll likely run into the same few hiccups. One big one is "reversing" numbers. A child might know they have one ten and six units but write it as 61.
Don't panic—this is totally normal. Their brains are still mapping out left-to-right processing. Usually, pointing back to the place value mat helps. Ask them, "Which house is on the left? The tens. So which number should we write first?"
Another common issue is "The Zero Problem." If you ask a kid to show you the number 20, they might get two tens but then feel confused about the units column. They might think they don't need to write anything there because it's empty. This is where you explain that zero is a "placeholder." It's like a person sitting in a seat to keep it saved. If we didn't put the zero there, the 2 would just look like a 2, not a 20.
Keep it consistent
The most important thing when you're figuring out how to teach tens and units is to keep the language and tools consistent for a while. If you start with popsicle sticks, stick with them for a week. If you're calling them "units," don't suddenly switch to "ones" the next day without explaining they're the same thing.
Try to find place value in everyday life, too. If you're at the grocery store, look at the prices. "Hey, that box of crackers is $3.00. That's three tens and zero units!" Okay, maybe that's a bit much for a grocery trip, but you get the idea. Pointing out that these numbers are everywhere makes the lesson feel less like "school work" and more like a secret code they're finally learning to crack.
Wrapping it up
At the end of the day, teaching place value is about patience. Some kids get it in ten minutes; for others, it takes ten weeks of bundling sticks before the lightbulb finally flickers on. Just remember to keep it physical, keep it visual, and don't be afraid to be a little bit silly with it. Once they understand that a number's position gives it power, you've basically handed them the keys to the rest of mathematics. You've got this!