Fill the Ten Frame

A huge joy in the classroom is when you see your learners actively engaged in a game.
They are having so much fun they forget they are doing real work.
This is a complete victory for the learner and the teacher.
Fill the ten frame is a game I invented to help my learners do just that…
have fun playing a game while they are working on standards based activities.

Let me break this game down to show you how powerful and FUN it can be!

Since we were working on the letter O last week, we used the short O activity.
You can choose from the options to find a good fit for your learners.
One version is colorful while the other is black and white.
Additionally, there is a color in version and a write the number version.
(This allows the teacher to differentiate the skill based on the students’ needs.)
Some students can color in to form a graph while others write in their numbers.
More on this in a moment.
Now you will need a die.
There is one provided for you to cut out and tape together.
I prefer to use these pocket chart dice with the inserts, which are also provided.

Notice the die inserts and the premade die contain the same images.

Your students roll the die.
They see the picture that lands face up and say it out loud.
Next, they color in or write the number in the ten frame under the matching picture.
They keep going until they… you guessed it…
until they fill the ten frame. Whichever one gets filled in WINS.
You will hear words being said that focus on the sound you are learning about,
numbers being written and graphs being created,
and students cheering on for the word they want to win!

And yes!
There is of course another version for the long o and bossy o sounds together.

Your students are reviewing their sounds, counting one to one,
creating a graph, counting and making sets to 10, comparing numbers, and writing numbers.
And YES…
they are playing a game and LOVING every minute of it.