Counting by 10s is a really important skill in life. To teach children this skill in the fastest and most effective way, it is wise to go through three phases. Put simply, start with the easiest activities where children are being introduced to rote counting in tens.

At its core, place value is understanding groups of 10. This is a big jump for many students. We are asking them to shift from counting with one-to-one correspondence to counting groups.

• Counting a large collection by ones is inefficient • When quantities are small or in familiar arrangements e.g. tally marks, dice pattern, ten frames it is easy to see how many without counting (subitising) • Separating a large quantity into smaller equal groups can make counting large collections more efficient.

Number Building with Dice or Cards. Roll two dice or use two cards (one for tens and one for ones). The first roll/card can represent the tens place, and the second represents the ones. This helps them see how combining the tens and ones forms a complete number. Counting Songs and Rhymes