· 2 min read · Ages 5–7 · Kindergarten through Grade 1
Why 14 is one ten and four more, and the sheet that shows it
Fourteen does not sound like four-teen-with-a-ten in it. Every activity on this sheet shows the ten anyway, until the child sees it without help.
English does the teens no favors. Eleven and twelve sound like nothing, thirteen puts the three first, and fourteen gives no hint that a ten is hiding in it. So the idea that 14 is a full ten plus four has to be taught on purpose.
What the sheet looks like
Every activity in the teen numbers worksheet generator shows a teen number as one full ten and some ones. Count the ten frames gives a double frame with the top one full. Ten and more asks for 10 + ___ = 14 and the tens and ones. Base-ten blocks shows a rod and loose cubes. Fill the ten frames reverses it, shading to match a number. Write it three ways combines frames, the 10 + sentence and tens and ones for a single number. Number line 10–20 has missing teens to fill in. Ranges run from 11–15 up to 10–20, with 6 to 12 problems a page.
Why it works
- The top ten frame is always full. After a few problems the child stops counting it and says ten, then counts on. That is the whole lesson in one habit.
- 10 + ___ = 14 is the first equation most children see with the unknown in the middle, and it is gentle because the ten never changes.
- The number line catches the children who can build 14 with blocks but still skip fourteen when counting aloud.
Who it suits
The 11–15 range with Count the ten frames is the first teens sheet for a kindergartner. 11–20 with Write it three ways is a grade 1 task. 10–20 with the number line is for a child who still stumbles reciting the teens. If a ten frame is new to the child, print a ten frames worksheet first. Once the teens are solid, the place value worksheet takes the same idea into the twenties and beyond.
Keep a real ten frame and some counters on the table the first few times. The sheet works better with something to hold.