Numbers to 50: tens and ones (Grades 1 and 2)

If your child is working on Grades 1 and 2 math, the topic "Numbers to 50: tens and ones" is one of the ideas where confidence is most often won or lost. Here is what it means in plain words, a worked example you can follow together, and a few simple ways to help at home.

What Grades 1 and 2 children learn

• Snap 10 cubes into 1 ten-stick and count big groups by tens
• Say how many tens and how many ones are in a number to 50
• Compare two numbers by looking at the tens first

The key ideas

• 10 ones make 1 ten. We snap 10 cubes into one ten-stick.
• A number to 50 is some tens and some ones. 34 is 3 tens and 4 ones.
• In 34, the first digit shows the tens and the second digit shows the ones.
• To compare, look at the tens first. More tens means a bigger number.

Quick examples

• 3 ten-sticks and 4 loose cubes make 34: count the sticks 10, 20, 30, then the loose cubes 31, 32, 33, 34
• 27 is 2 tens and 7 ones: 20 and 7 make 27
• 40 is 4 tens and 0 ones: 4 sticks and no loose cubes
• Compare 38 and 43: 38 has 3 tens and 43 has 4 tens, so 43 is more

A worked example

How to help at home

• Ask your child to explain the first step of the worked example in their own words before you show them anything.
• Work through the "Try it yourself" question together, and talk about why the answer makes sense.
• Spend a few minutes a day on the free Tutorizer "Tens and ones" practice. Short and regular beats long and rare.
• If a step feels shaky, go back to the key ideas above and use objects, drawings or a number line.

Try it yourself

Want a challenge?

Next steps