Ocean Theme Ten Frame Counting Activities for Kindergarten

It’s time to hit the beach and enjoy sun and sand! But we will want to make sure our little ones keep strong skills and continue to learn! One of the downsides of summertime is that young learners will sometimes demonstrate regression. This ten frame activity can help kids review and maintain number sense. Young learners will just love this adorable Ocean Theme Ten Frame Counting Activities for Kindergarten! It’s perfect for students learning to count to 10 and can even be used as enrichment to help students learn about addition and subtraction. Students will love these ocean theme math activities!

With these Google Slides, young learners will be able to use their math skills to count and identify numbers using ten frames. The colorful illustrations and the use of technology will keep kids engaged and excited about learning! They will love using the mouse to drag the clouds over the correct answer. Students will be having so much fun, they won’t even realized the educational benefits!

Why should my kindergartner use 10 frames?

Ten frames allow students to visualize the anchors of 5 and 10. This skill is important since our number system is based on groups of ten. Mastering ten frames will help students better understand place value later in their mathematical journey. They are a tool teachers can use in their pre k and kindergarten classroom to help children build a strong number sense.

I use ten frame math in my classroom because it really helps my students visualize and master numbers 1-10.

Another very important math skill is subitizing!

We LOVE using ten frames to help subitize in kindergarten. You can’t even imagine how adorable it is to hear little ones using the word subitize and boy do they love using it!

What is subitizing?

Subitizing is the ability to recognize a small group of objects without counting. Think about the patterns on dice. As soon as you roll a number, you can identify that number. You don’t need to count each pip on the die.

Using these ten frame cards will help students more easily subitize numbers! It’s an essential skill to build strong number sense. Just think about how often you look at a group of items and you just “know” how many are there.

You often don’t need to count because you are a master subitizer!

How do I use this activity?

You will first want to click on the activity and make a copy.

It is available in both Google Slides and Seesaw!

Once a copy is made, you will want to rename the copy so that it isn’t listed as “copy of” on your computer… nobody wants an entire collection of “copy of” documents.

Next, have your child click on a slide.

Your child can then count the suns in the ten frame.

Your learner will then drag the cloud over the correct number counted. The clouds are transparent so you can easily check the answers.

Once a slide is completed, click onto the next slide. Easy Peasy!

You can make this activity more challenging by asking children what numbers come before and after the illustrated number.

Or, you can create simple addition, subtraction problems like “What do I need to add to that number to make 10?”

After completing the slides several times, you may want to print them out and use them as an assessment. Have your child circle or write the correct answer.

You can also print and laminate the slides. Your child can use a dry erase marker to circle the correct amount. He/she practice counting over and over again.

Repetition is essential to mastery when it comes to our young learners so use the slides multiple times!

What else can I do with ten frames?

When I first start teaching numbers and counting, I always include hands on activities in my lesson plans. We know that children learn best when they are actively engaged in the activity. Ten frames are great for this!

Here are a few number activities we use to help with number recognition and counting skills:

• Hand out numeral cards. These cards can either have math numbers or counting objects on them. Have kids identify the numbers. Challenge your child to subitize when it is appropriate.
• Create two sets of cards. One with numbers and the other with ten frames. Children can find matches. Set a timer and challenge your learner to subitize so that he/she can find the matches more quickly.
• Place the 2 sets of cards facedown. Play a memory matching game.

• Make a ten frame using an egg carton. (You will have to get rid of 2 of the cells to demonstrate a group of ten). Use pom pons, beads, cotton balls etc. to fill each cell. Ask your learner to identify the number. Switch rolls and have your learner build a number for you to identify.
• When using ten frames, ask critical thinking questions like “How many more do I need to make 10?” or “What if I had 3 less?” Play with numbers.
• Create a blank ten frame on construction paper and laminate it so you can use it multiple times. Using playdoh, have your student make little balls to fill in the ten frame to demonstrate a number. This is a fun activity for small groups during math centers where you can easily manage behaviors.
• Create cards using ten frames of numbers 1-10. Have your student correctly sequence the numbers. You can also give a card to each student and have them build a human number line holding the cards.
• Have fun building tens and subitizing!

More Counting Activities You’ll Love!