How to Teach Teens as Ten and Some More in Kindergarten

Teen numbers are one of the trickiest parts of kindergarten math, and it is not your child's fault. The English names for 11 through 19 are genuinely confusing. "Eleven" and "twelve" give no hint about tens and ones. "Thirteen" sounds like it should start with three, not end with it. Compare that to languages like Mandarin, where 13 is literally "ten-three" — the structure is built into the word.

Your kindergartner can probably count to 19. But counting to a number and understanding what it means are very different things. The goal at this age is for your child to see that every teen number is made of one group of ten and some extra ones. This is the seed of place value, and it will grow into everything they do with numbers for the next eight years.

What the research says

The Common Core standards ask kindergartners to "compose and decompose numbers from 11 to 19 into ten ones and some further ones." This is not busywork — it is grounded in research showing that children who understand teen numbers as "ten and some more" develop stronger place value understanding in first and second grade (Fuson, 1990; Clements & Sarama, 2014).

The key insight from the research: children need to physically build teen numbers from a group of ten and a group of extras many, many times before the idea becomes automatic. Telling them "14 is ten and four" is not enough. They need to see it, build it, and say it in their own words.

What to do: A three-stage approach

Stage 1: Build tens with real objects (weeks 1-2)

Before tackling teen numbers, your child needs a rock-solid sense of what "ten" looks and feels like.

Activity: The Ten Train

Gather small objects — dried beans, pennies, buttons, or cereal pieces. Have your child count out exactly 10 and put them in a line (the "ten train"). Do this multiple times over several days until counting to 10 and stopping is automatic.

Parent: "Count out 10 beans and make a train."

Child: (counting) "1, 2, 3... 10!"

Parent: "Great. Now, without counting again, how many are in your train?"

Child: "Ten!"

The goal is for "ten" to feel like a unit — a complete group — not just the number that comes after nine.

Activity: Bundle Sticks

Give your child 10 craft sticks (popsicle sticks work perfectly). Have them count the sticks, then rubber-band them together into one bundle. Hold up the bundle.

Parent: "How many sticks in this bundle?"

Child: "Ten."

Parent: "Right. This whole bundle is one ten. It is one group, but it has ten sticks inside."

Make several bundles over the week. The physical act of bundling reinforces that ten ones become one ten.

Stage 2: Ten and some more with ten frames (weeks 2-3)

Now introduce teen numbers using a ten frame — a 2-by-5 grid that holds exactly 10 items. You can draw one on paper or use an egg carton with two cups removed.

Activity: Fill the Frame and Spill

1. Give your child a ten frame and a pile of 15 counters (buttons, coins, or small toys).
2. Ask them to fill the ten frame completely.
3. Point to the remaining counters outside the frame.

Parent: "How many are in the frame?"

Child: "Ten."

Parent: "How many are left over?"

Child: (counting the extras) "Five."

Parent: "So we have ten... and five more. Ten and five more is fifteen. Say it with me: ten and five more is fifteen."

Repeat with different totals: 11 through 19. Each time, fill the ten frame first, count the extras, then name the teen number.

Why this works: The ten frame makes the "ten" visible as a complete, full group. The extras sit outside, physically separate. Your child can see that 13 is a full ten frame plus 3 more — not just a string of counting words.

Common mistake to avoid: Do not skip the step where your child says "ten and ___ more." The verbal pattern is what bridges the concrete activity to the abstract idea. If they just count all the objects from 1, they are not decomposing — they are just counting.

Stage 3: Say it, build it, write it (weeks 3-4)

Now practice in all directions: hearing a teen number and building it, seeing a group and naming it, and connecting to written numerals.

Activity: Show Me

Say a teen number. Your child builds it with a ten frame and extra counters.

Parent: "Show me seventeen."

Child: (fills the ten frame, puts 7 more outside) "Ten and seven more!"

Activity: Mystery Number

Set up a ten frame with some extras. Cover it with a cloth, then reveal it.

Parent: (reveals) "What number is this?"

Child: "Ten and... 1, 2, 3, 4 more. Fourteen!"

Activity: The Teen Number Song

For each teen number, create a simple verbal pattern your child repeats:

• "Eleven is ten and one more."
• "Twelve is ten and two more."
• "Thirteen is ten and three more."

Say these together while building with objects. The repetition wires the decomposition into memory. You do not need a melody — a simple chant works fine.

Connecting to written numerals: Once the "ten and some more" idea is solid with objects, show the written number. Point to the 1 in 14: "This 1 means one ten." Point to the 4: "This 4 means four more ones. One ten and four ones — fourteen." Keep it brief and always connected to the physical model.

How to tell if your child gets it

Your kindergartner understands teen numbers when they can:

• Build any teen number using a ten frame and extras without counting from 1
• Say "fourteen is ten and four more" (or similar phrasing) without prompting
• Look at a full ten frame plus some extras and name the number without counting every object
• Start to see the pattern: the "1" in front always means one ten

Red flags — signs they need more practice:

• They count every object from 1 every time, even with the ten frame full. They are not yet seeing ten as a group.
• They confuse 14 and 41 (or similar reversals). This is normal at this age but signals they need more "ten and ones" language practice, not written numeral practice.
• They cannot count out exactly 10 objects reliably. Go back to Stage 1 — they need more experience with ten as a quantity before decomposing teens.
• They can recite "thirteen is ten and three" but cannot build it with objects. The verbal pattern is memorized but not understood. More hands-on building is needed.

What comes next

Once your child truly understands teen numbers as "ten and some more," they are ready for:

• Comparing teen numbers — Which is more, 14 or 17? They can reason about it: both have one ten, but 17 has more ones.
• Adding within 20 — Problems like 10 + 6 become obvious when they know that ten and six more is sixteen.
• Formal place value in first grade — Tens and ones columns, two-digit numbers, and eventually regrouping all build on this kindergarten foundation.

The jump from "I can count to 19" to "I understand what 19 means" is one of the most important conceptual leaps in early math. Give it the time it deserves. A few weeks of ten frames and bundle sticks now will pay off for years.