Base ten blocks, bead strings, 100 grids, place value discs, and more manipulatives provide hands-on ways to learn place value, number concepts, operations, measurement, and much more. Students use these manipulatives to physically represent numbers so they can develop a deeper understanding. Building number combinations with manipulatives help students understand the concept of regrouping or trading and see the logical development of each operation.
Using base 10 blocks for adding numbers allows students to practice regrouping in a conceptual way and reinforces the concept of place value. Students can clearly see how the one’s group becomes 10s, the 10s become 100s, and so on.
Base 10 blocks, bead strings, and 100 grids are my favorites. I don’t like place value discs very much because they don’t represent the relationship between each place value. I love base 10 blocks and use them for many other concepts as well. I use bead strings as well for 10s and 100s, number lines, and decimals.
A fun activity for place value is to create different manipulatives like base 10 blocks with the students. We always create 10s with bead strings and students love creating 10s and 100s with mini marshmallows or gummies. We have created a huge thousand made of mini marshmallows that lasted for a long time.
We have created two google slides resources
- To practice representing numbers with base 10 blocks, bead strings, and 100 grids
- To practice adding 2/3 digit numbers with base 10 blocks.
Find the subtracting 2 and 3-digit numbers post here
With the first resource, the students practice
- Finding which number is represented by the blocks, beads, and 100 grid.
- Representing/building numbers with blocks, beads and 100 grid.
- Finding the value of each digit of a number.
With the second resource the students practice
- Representing the numbers to add.
- Adding two-digit numbers that sum up to less and more than 100 using base 10 blocks as manipulatives.
- Adding three-digit numbers that sum up to less and more than 1000 using base 10 blocks as manipulatives.
- Solving addition problems without representing the numbers, using blocks just to show the regrouping.
- Finding the missing numbers in addition problems where the answer is known.
Representing 2/3 digit numbers
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Adding 2/3 digit numbers with base 10 blocks
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Find the bundle with both resources here
As always here is a free version of both the resources for you.