How it works
Slide a bead across to count it.
The beads across make your number.
A whole row is ten, so now you can show every number up to ten.
Worked examples
Count to three
- Slide one bead across and say one.
- Slide two more, one at a time: two, three.
- Three beads are across, so the number is three.
Count to six
- Keep sliding, one bead for each number: four, five, six.
- Say each number as the bead clicks across.
- Six beads are across.
A whole row
- Keep going: seven, eight, nine, ten.
- Now every bead on the row is across.
- The whole row is ten.
A taste of the worksheets
These are some of the questions on the sets. The printable sheets have more, with the bead frame drawn for each, and an answer key.
- How do we count a bead on the frame? 🛑 Leave it where it is / 👉 Slide it across / 🙈 Hide it
- Which number is a whole row? 🔟 Ten / 🖐️ Five / 🔵 Eight
- Seven, eight, nine. What comes next? 10 / 8 / 11
Words to know
- count
- To say a number for each bead.
- ten
- A whole row of beads.
- slide
- To move a bead across the row.
Watch out for
- Slide one bead for each number you say.
- Beads in a row are easier to count than beads rolling about.
- Only the beads across are counted.
Try it
How many beads are on a whole row?
ten. A whole row is ten.
Do we count a bead by sliding it across or by leaving it where it is?
by sliding it across. We slide each bead across as we count it.
Slide six beads across. How many are across?
6. Count each one: one, two, three, four, five, six.
What number comes after nine?
ten. Nine, and then ten fills the row.
For grown-ups
Ask a grown-up to help you find ten small things, like spoons or blocks. Count them one at a time and slide a bead across the frame for each one, then swap!
Find ten small things like spoons or blocks. Let your child slide a bead for each one as they count, then swap.