Counting is so much more fun when you use candy corn! Little learners will love building numbers to 20 using candy corn manipulatives. In this blog post, Sweet Math Magic: Using Candy Corn to Make Learning Fun, I’ll show you how incorporating a little candy can make math even sweeter!
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If you’re new around here, you might be wondering what a math resource is doing on a literacy website.
Well listen up, early literacy includes early numeracy!
I love books and reading but more than anything, I love early learning in general! The first several years of learning are pivotal in a child’s life.
My passion is creating resources and sharing information to ensure that every child gets a solid foundation for learning in the first few years of life. Why? Because I know how much this foundation matters years down the road.
I’ve worked with kids as old as 8th grade who still did not have some of the most basic understandings of reading and math concepts that should have been acquired in early childhood.
Numeracy and One to One Correspondence
If we are thinking about the most important building blocks for early learners, numeracy is just as essential as literacy. Early numeracy skills create a crucial foundation for a learner’s future success in math. Simple concepts that we take for granted as adults, such as counting and one-to-one correspondence, are critical building blocks of understanding math.
If you aren’t familiar with early math skills, being able to simply count (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…..) is a numeracy skill that should precede all other math skills. After that, one of the most basic skills your little learners need to know is:
- One-to-one correspondence: This is the skill of being able to physically count objects as you say a number. For example, pointing to the first object and saying, “one,” pointing to the second object and saying, “two,” and so on. One-to-one correspondence helps learners understand that numbers are not abstract and each time a number goes up, it represents one more of something.
The good news is, providing opportunities to practice these skills really is simple and doesn’t require a lot of materials. You can practice counting with cereal, toys, Goldfish crackers, socks, anything! As long as learners are pointing/touching each object and associating it with “one more,” they are working on 1-1 correspondence.
Using Ten Frames to Teach One to One Correspondence
10 is the foundation of our mathematical system in the US! Learners will need to understand 10 and how all other numbers relate to 10 as they advance through school. They will use ten (and twenty) frames to count, add, subtract, etc, so the earlier they are introduced to a ten frame (like right now when they are just beginning to correlate numbers with objects), the easier the transition will be when they start using ten frames for more advanced skills.
Also, understanding and being able to manipulate numbers into groups of 10 is a skill they will carry with them not just in early elementary school, but all the way through advanced math. I’m telling you, I was in college pre-calculus using my understanding of 10! I use my understanding of 10 nearly every single day in one way or another. It really is one of those skills you will use in the real world… unlike those pesky quadratic equations…
One other recommendation for using ten frames like the ones pictured above is that learners need to see numbers represented in multiple ways in order to internalize what those numbers mean. Seeing the actual numbers (1, 4, 9) shown alongside their written names (one, four, nine), in addition to see them represented by their corresponding number of objects, helps reinforce what each number actually stands for.
About these Candy Corn Ten Frames
If you are looking for a fun way to practice counting and representing numbers, you can snag these by clicking on the image above or this link: Candy Corn Counting Numbers 1-20 Ten Frames.
These math mats are perfect for preschool and kinder students who are learning to count and learning to represent numbers. They would also be helpful for 1st and 2nd graders who are far below grade level or struggling with foundational skills and one to one correspondence.
- This bundle includes math mats for numbers 1-20. There is a color and black/white set.
- These math mats are perfect for allowing students to practice building numbers 1-20 on ten frames.
- Laminate them to use for centers, print multiple sheets per page for smaller, personal sets of cards, or place them in sheet protectors in a binder for students to practice with at centers or as a toddler activity at home.
- They can use candy corn, fall/Halloween mini erasers, cereal, etc. represent each number on the frames.
- There are lots of possibilities for these. I can’t wait to see how you creatively use them with your students to make counting and representing numbers fun! 🙂
What’s Included in the Candy Corn Ten Frame Bundle
This downloadable resource includes the following items:
- A set of 8.5″x11″ mats for numbers 1-20 with a color candy corn image
- A set of 8.5″x11″ mats for numbers 1-20 with a black/white candy corn image
There are several different possibilities for these candy corn math mats and I can’t wait to see how you use them! 🙂
Be on the lookout for more HOLIDAY themed counting bundles! Holidays and learning are my JAM! 🙂
For the month of October, you might also like:
- Trick or Treat Gift Tags
- How to Catch a Monster (pairs great with this book!)
- How to Scare a Ghost (pairs great with this book!)
- What Should My Teacher Be for Halloween? (pairs great with any Halloween read aloud or as a stand-alone fun activity!)
- You’ve Been BOOed
What are your other favorite lessons and ideas for the month of October? Let me know below!
Happy Teaching!
Megan