Counting collections helps with counting skills, skip-counting, writing numbers correctly, or understanding base 10. Counting Collections is the perfect activity for kids for developing a solid foundation in number sense. It can also be modified for your child based on their counting needs. For example: If you child is working on counting proficiently within 100 you can find a collection of things under 100. However, you can also challenge your child with larger collections in the hundreds. We have done this as a game in our classroom already, so students should be familiar with the process.
What should I use for a collection? ANYTHING!! Paperclips, dry goods like beans, buttons, rocks, cotton balls, pom poms, playing cards, etc.
Sorting: Students can sort into small dixie cups, or in piles. Students can figure out the best way to sort. They might sort into piles of 5’s, 10’s, 20’s, etc. (Most do groups of 10’s) Once students reach 100 items, put those 100 cups or items together for a hundred group. (Remembering that 10 tens=100 items)
Once sorted, students can count based on their piles!
- 5, 10, 15, 20…….110, 115, 120, 121, 122, 123
- 10, 20, 30……100, 110, 120, 121, 122, 123
- 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120…121, 122, 123
Recording: I have created this recording sheet that shows students how to create a model of their collection and explain the place value of this number. You can print out the recording sheet, or students can write and draw this in their journal.
Replaying the game: This game of counting collections can be played as many times as you can find different items
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