Scoop & Group – place value activity {with printable}
Understanding place value is a crucial math skill for young learners in kindergarten and first grade.
One of the best ways to teach this concept is through hands-on activities that make learning fun and interactive. That’s where the Scoop and Group activity comes in!
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This simple yet effective math game helps kids visualize the ones and tens places by physically grouping objects.
It’s easy to set up and reinforces early place value skills in a playful way. You can easily use this in a classroom or homeschool setting. Get creative with the counters you use to make it extra fun.
Supplies
- Small counters (e.g., cheerios, bingo chips, mancala beads, beans, buttons, mini erasers, or cubes)
- Cup to use as a scoop
- Printable scoop and group mat
- Printable recording sheet
- Optional: base 10 blocks (ones and tens)
- Optional: place value mat or printable
How to Play
Step 1: Scoop the Counters
Give each child a small cup or scoop and have them randomly scoop up a handful of counters. Use different counters or themed counters to keep it interesting.
Step 2: Count and Group
Once they have their counters, kids count them one by one. When they get to ten, they take that group of counters and place them into one of the circles labelled “ten” on the worksheet.
Any leftover counters go in the “ones” place.
Step 3: Identify the Tens and Ones
After grouping, help kids recognize how many full groups of ten they have and how many single counters are left.
For example, if a child scoops 17 counters:
- They make one full group of ten
- They have 7 ones left
- They write this as 17 = 1 ten and 7 ones
Step 4: Record the Number
Now, they can record the numbers on the recording worksheet. There are two versions, one just has a single line for the total, the other has the total area divided into tens and ones.
Variations
Count by 2’s
Are they ready for a little bit of a challenge? Have them count the counters by 2’s until they get to 10 to help practice their skip counting.
Trade them for 10 sticks
Once they have the basic concept down they can start trading in their groups of 10 for a 10 stick. Place the ten sticks in the correct column on the place value worksheet and single cubes in the ones place representing the number of counters in the ones place.
If you have lots of the single cubes you can just use these as your counters when you’re ready to start trading.
Grab the printable
These worksheets print on a regular 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper. They are 3 sheets in total, the main group & sort sheet and two different recording sheets to choose from.
You can easily place the recording sheet in a plastic sleeve if you want to be able to use it multiple times.
