“A really good way to help children understand teen numbers is to use the abacus.....”
Teen numbers are challenging because we “say them back to front”: four – teen, while in the symbolic numeral representation the ten comes first. Here representations of teen numbers on an abacus are carefully structured with the number and ten/teen words modelled and emphasised.
Domain: Place value and teen numbers
Transition: 2 → 4
Barrier: Having difficulty reading and making teen numbers.
Other resources:
Numeracy activities: