This page offers a comprehensive collection of hands-on activities using Base Ten Blocks. These engaging exercises are designed to help children in kindergarten through second grade master essential math concepts, including place value, expanded form, and number sense up to 100. By physically manipulating the blocks, kids can build a strong, visual understanding of how numbers are structured. The activities are perfect for parents and teachers looking for fun and effective ways to teach foundational math skills.

Activities for Base Ten Blocks

1. Building a Number

• Description: The foundational activity for understanding place value by visually representing a number.
• Materials: Base Ten Blocks (ones and tens).
• Instruction: Call out a two-digit number (e.g., 34). The child must use the blocks to build that number by first taking the correct number of ten-rods (3) and then the correct number of unit cubes (4). You can also have them do the reverse: you build a number and they have to say what it is.
• Skills Developed: Place value, number recognition, and counting.

2. Expanded Form Match

• Description: This activity helps children connect the physical blocks to the mathematical concept of expanded form.
• Materials: Base Ten Blocks, and paper and pencil or whiteboard.
• Instruction: Have the child build a number (e.g., 27). Then, ask them to write the number in expanded form, which is 20 + 7. You can also give them the expanded form and have them build the number.
• Skills Developed: Expanded form, place value, and number representation.

3. “What’s Missing?” Game

• Description: A memory and problem-solving game that reinforces place value.
• Materials: Base Ten Blocks.
• Instruction: Build a number with the blocks (e.g., 42). Have the child close their eyes, and secretly remove a few blocks. Ask them to look at the remaining blocks and tell you what is missing. For example, if you remove one ten-rod, they should say, “One ten is missing!”
• Skills Developed: Memory, place value, and subtraction concepts.

4. Counting by Tens

• Description: A simple, repetitive activity to practice skip counting and visualize the concept of a “ten.”
• Materials: Ten-rods (or the 1 to 10 square paper rods).
• Instruction: Give the child a stack of ten-rods. Have them count out loud as they lay down each rod: “10, 20, 30, 40…” until they reach 100. You can also have them do this backward from 100.
• Skills Developed: Skip counting, number sequencing, and place value.

5. Comparing Numbers

• Description: This activity helps children understand which number is greater or less by comparing the number of tens and ones.
• Materials: Base Ten Blocks.
• Instruction: Ask the child to build two different numbers (e.g., 38 and 41). Have them place the two sets of blocks side-by-side. Ask, “Which number is bigger?” Encourage them to explain their reasoning by comparing the number of ten-rods first.
• Skills Developed: Comparative reasoning, place value, and number value.

6. Adding with Blocks

• Description: An introduction to simple addition using a hands-on approach.
• Materials: Base Ten Blocks.
• Instruction: Write a simple addition problem without regrouping (e.g., 23 + 14). Have the child build the first number (23) and then build the second number (14). They can then combine all the tens and all the ones to find the final answer.
• Skills Developed: Addition, place value, and counting.

7. Subtraction with Blocks

• Description: An introduction to simple subtraction using Base Ten Blocks.
• Materials: Base Ten Blocks.
• Instruction: Write a simple subtraction problem without regrouping (e.g., 35 – 12). Have the child build the first number (35). Ask them to physically “take away” the second number (take away one ten-rod and two unit cubes). The remaining blocks are the answer.
• Skills Developed: Subtraction, place value, and counting.

8. Guess the Number

• Description: A game to practice number recognition and place value in a fun, interactive way.
• Materials: Base Ten Blocks.
• Instruction: One person secretly builds a number with the blocks and hides it (e.g., behind a book). The other person asks questions to figure out the number. Questions can be like, “Does it have more than 5 tens?” or “Does it have an even number of ones?”
• Skills Developed: Problem-solving, number sense, and verbal communication.

9. Block Tower Challenge

• Description: A kinesthetic activity that connects the blocks to a physical representation of height and quantity.
• Materials: Base Ten Blocks.
• Instruction: Challenge the child to build a tower of a specific height using the blocks. For example, “Can you build me a tower that is 40 units tall?” The child would have to use four ten-rods to complete the task. You can then check the tower’s height with the unit cubes.
• Skills Developed: Quantity representation, problem-solving, and place value.

10. Sorting by Place Value

• Description: A sorting activity to help children distinguish between tens and ones.
• Materials: A large pile of mixed Base Ten Blocks.
• Instruction: Have the child sort the entire pile of blocks into two groups: one for the tens (ten-rods) and one for the ones (unit cubes). This simple act reinforces the fundamental difference between the two types of blocks.
• Skills Developed: Categorization, place value, and visual discrimination.

11. Build, Match, and Compare

• Description: This foundational activity connects the physical representation of Base Ten Blocks with the symbolic representation of number cards and the conceptual understanding of comparison symbols.
• Materials: Base Ten Blocks, Number cards 1-100, and the < , >, = symbol cards.
• Instruction: Ask the child to build two different numbers with the Base Ten Blocks (e.g., 53 and 35). Next, have them find the corresponding number cards for each number. Finally, ask them to place the correct comparison symbol (>) between the two number cards to show which number is greater.
• Skills Developed: Place value, number recognition, and comparative reasoning.

12. “Prove the Comparison”

• Description: A critical thinking game where the child uses Base Ten Blocks to prove whether a given comparison is true or false.
• Materials: Base Ten Blocks, Number cards 1-100, and the < , >, = symbol cards.
• Instruction: You set up a comparison with the number cards and a symbol (e.g., 42 < 24). Ask the child, “Is this comparison correct?” They must then use the Base Ten Blocks to build both numbers and physically demonstrate why the statement is false. The child can then correct the comparison by flipping the symbol or swapping the number cards.
• Skills Developed: Critical thinking, place value, and logical analysis.

13. Ordering with Blocks

• Description: An activity to teach number sequencing using the physical blocks as a guide.
• Materials: Base Ten Blocks, a selection of Number cards, and the < , >, = symbol cards.
• Instruction: Ask the child to build a set of three different numbers (e.g., 18, 25, 31). Once they are built, have them arrange the corresponding number cards in order from smallest to biggest, placing the < symbol between each one to show the sequence (e.g., 18 < 25 < 31). You can also have them do this in descending order with the > symbol.
• Skills Developed: Sequencing, place value, and comparative reasoning.

14. Missing Number Challenge

• Description: This game challenges the child to find a number that fits a specific relationship, using all three materials.
• Materials: Base Ten Blocks, Number cards 1-100, and the < , >, = symbol cards.
• Instruction: You set up a comparison with one number card and a symbol, leaving a blank space for the missing number (e.g., 50 > ___). The child must build a number with Base Ten Blocks that fits the criteria, find the corresponding number card, and place it in the blank space.
• Skills Developed: Problem-solving, number sense, and place value.