A numeral can look very different from the quantity it represents. Give children a chance to match one number to dots, tallies, a ten-frame, and blocks while saying what stays the same across each model.
At a glance
Start with two numerals, count each model, and explain how you know they show the same amount.
1. Name the numeral
Choose a familiar number and ask children to show that many fingers or counters. Keep the numeral visible on the mat.
2. Count the dots
Touch or move one counter for each dot. Ask how many dots there are altogether and place the matching feather.
3. Compare with a ten-frame
Count or recognize the filled spaces and ask how many are empty. Put the frame beside the dots to compare the totals.
4. Explain the other models
Show how tally marks and blocks represent one unit each. For ten, compare the ten rod with ten separate units.
5. Match a new model independently
Offer one feather for another number and ask the child to find its mat. Let them explain by pointing or using counters.
A classroom example
In a fictional kindergarten group, Ken sees a ten rod and calls it one. His teacher lines up ten unit cubes beside it. Ken counts the cubes and places the rod with the numeral ten.
Companion printable
The 15-page PDF includes ten numeral mats, forty feather cards, two recording sheets, and setup and reference pages.
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