Republic of the Philippines

NDC-Tagum Foundation Inc.

Apokon Road, Tagum City

COMPENDIUM OF 
MANIPULATIVE MATERIALS 
FOR MATHEMATICS

LEA Q. ESTOJERO

BSED-Mathematics

OCTOBER 2019
 Description and History

The use of manipulatives in mathematics classrooms throughout the world grew

considerably in popularity throughout the second half of the 20th century. Mathematical

manipulatives are frequently used in the first step of teaching mathematical concepts,

that of concrete representation. The second and third steps are representational and

abstract, respectively. 

Mathematical manipulatives can be purchased or constructed by the teacher. The use

of manipulatives in teaching mathematics has a long tradition and solid research history.

Manipulatives not only allow students to construct their own cognitive models for

abstract mathematical ideas and processes, they also provide a common language with

which to communicate these models to the teacher and other students. In addition to

the ability of manipulatives to aid directly in the cognitive process, manipulatives have

the additional advantage of engaging students and increasing both interest in and

enjoyment of mathematics. Students who are presented with the opportunity to use

manipulatives report that they are more interested in mathematics. Long-term interest in

mathematics translates to increased mathematical ability (Sutton & Krueger, 2002). 

In 2013, the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM) issued a position

statement on the use of manipulatives in classroom instruction to improve student

achievement. “[I]n order to develop every student’s mathematical proficiency, leaders

and teachers must systematically integrate the use of concrete and virtual manipulatives

into classroom instruction at all grade levels.” (NCSM, 2013)] This position is based on

research supporting the use of manipulatives in classroom instruction. For example,

Ruzic & O’Connell (2001) found that long-term use of manipulatives has a positive

effect on student achievement by allowing students to use concrete objects to observe,

model, and internalize abstract concepts. 

Common Mathematics Manipulatives and Their Uses

a manipulative is an object which is designed so that a learner can perceive some

mathematical concept by manipulating it, hence its name. The use of manipulatives

provides a way for children to learn concepts through developmentally appropriate

hands-on experience. 

When students can use different manipulatives to represent the same concept, their

ability to understand subsequent math concepts is enhanced. When a new manipulative

is going to be used in a lesson, you should allow students time to examine it and

explore its use before giving them concrete directions. You can do this by allowing time

at the beginning of the lesson for this unstructured use, or by making the manipulative

available to students in an area of the classroom they have access to during the day,

such as in a learning center. Then, before you give students the task they are to work

on using the manipulative, demonstrate how to use it.

 Foam Dice

Give each student a handful of dice and have them roll. Then have them randomly

arrange the numbers they rolled on their desk. Have them write down which number is

in the hundreds place, tens place, one’s place and so on. It’s a simple activity, but it’s

lots of fun.

Game process:

 Teach place value. “Give each student a handful of dice and have them roll.

Then have them randomly arrange the numbers they rolled on their desk. Have
 them write down which number is in the hundreds place, tens place, one’s place

and so on. It’s a simple activity, but it’s lots of fun. 

 Play Fast Facts. “The game Fast Facts is played with two opposing teams. Give

the 1–6 dice to one group and the 7–12 dice to another group. A member from

each teams rolls a die, and the first player who shouts out the correct sum of the

two dice added together wins a point. Once a team has 10 points, they win and

you can start over

 Practice and teamwork. “The game Rock and Roll is a good way to practice

addition and subtraction. Give groups of two students one die. One student rolls

and the other student records the number. Then, for the next roll of the die, they

switch tasks. After they’ve rolled the die 10 times, the students do a quick game

of Rock, Paper, Scissors—the winner decides whether they add or subtract the

numbers on their sheet. If they tie, they must do both.

 Practice makes permanent. “Foam dice are wonderful for developing fact

fluency in primary students. The kids can use them to practice addition and

subtraction facts within 20. Use them in conjunction with the sand timer or with

recording sheets.
 Fraction Tile Magnets

 Get one of those big magnetic boards that also double as a whiteboard. When

students finish their math homework early, let them use this mini fraction station

to challenge a fellow student and work the problem out, right there on the board.

 These magnets are a perfect fit for a cookie sheet. Then when students are in

work stations, they can travel around with them and none of the pieces get lost.

Also, give students illustrated fractions to take along too. This really helps assess

their understanding.
 Use these magnets to reinforce understanding of equivalent fractions. This is a

good partner activity, so each set should have a cookie sheet and a set of tiles.

Give the partners a target number—like 1 3/4—then challenge them to find as

many ways as possible to use the tiles to make the mixed number. Once they

find as many ways as they can, the partners should share to see if they match.

 Set up an area in your classroom with three cookie sheets and three sets of

fraction magnets. You should act as the cashier and the students are the

customers. In your mock ‘store,’ post pictures of various items with fraction

prices. The students have to add things up to a given amount. Once they

understand the concept fully, they can take turns being the cashier.

Play Money
 When you’re teaching about money and making change, it really helps to have

the right visuals there in the classroom.

 Having magnetic money really helps teach concepts to the entire class. You can

work together on a money word problem and have a visual to show all the

students. This helps them understand the concepts better.

 Set up a small ‘store’ in your class with items marked with certain prices.

Students will love adding up the amounts, paying with money and making

change.

MINI CLOCKS

It’s so much easier to learn and understand time when you have a clock in front of you. 
Use these clocks for a game called ‘Time Check!’ Here’s how it works: You give

students a word problem, and then they each set the time (or the answer) on their mini

clocks and write their names underneath. Then they go add it to a magnetic board in the

classroom so the teacher can easily check all the work at once.

For partner work, have the students quiz one another. Because the clocks are geared, it

makes it easy for kids to move the hands and figure out the solution. When students

work together, one can set a time and the partner can write the digital time. Then they

can check each other.

DOMINOES
There are so many variations of domino games. Borrow some ideas from this website

that features ways to turn the play into math-learning lessons. Your students will be

trying to find free time so they can plan again.

 Let your students play a game of ‘Number War’ with dominoes. All you do is place the

dominoes face down in the middle. Players flip one domino over. The student with the

highest number gets to keep all of the dominoes. (You could make it an addition or

multiplication challenge too.) The winner is the one with all the dominoes at the end.

Dominoes are a great tool for working on fraction concepts. For example, you can add

fractions with unlike denominators. Have your students turn all the dominoes face down.

The first student to take a turn flips over two dominoes and adds them together. Then

the partner checks the sum. If it is correct, the player keeps them. If not, the partner

keeps the dominoes. The other player takes his/her turn, and play continues until all

dominoes are used.

Here’s a game for older students learning about input and output tables. Each group of

students (three or four) is given a set of dominoes. Then give each group a rule like +2,

or –3. The students select all the dominoes that follow that rule and place them under

the rule. For example under the rule +2, they would put 0, 2, and 1, 3, and 2, 4, etc.
 Hundreds Charts

The hundreds chart (or 100s chart) is an extremely simple idea with huge possibilities

for helping first graders with math. 

It consists of a grid of numbers from 1 to 100, with each row containing a group of 10

numbers. As a result, children using this chart can count across rows by ones, and

down columns by tens. The 100s chart can be used as a tool for helping learning a

range of first grade skills, including:

 counting from 1-100

 identifying numbers

 learning odd and even numbers

 developing number sense skills

  visualizing patterns of skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s

 addition and "counting on"

 subtraction and "counting back"

Game process: 

 To play this 2-person game, you'll need a hundreds chart and two color counters,

or squares of paper in two different colors. The child 1 says the name of a

number on the chart. Child 2 finds the number and covers it with his color

counter. Then they switch roles, with child 2 calling a number for child 1 to find.

As they go back and forth, calling and covering numbers, the chart will fill up with

two colors of counters. The goal is to be the first to get three of your colored

counters in a row. (Players have no control over their own numbers, but they can

use strategy to try and keep the other player from getting 3 in a row.)

 Give kids a 100s chart and some crayons. Have kids color in all the even

numbers, or skip count by 5s and circle these numbers in red. First graders will

enjoy seeing the colored patterns emerge when exploring skip-counting,

especially when patterns overlap (counting by 5s and counting by 10s, for

example).

 Show kids how to add and subtract with a penny. Give an addition problem such

as 35+7. Have kids identify the larger number and put their penny on that

number. Then have the child move the penny up as many times as the second
 number shows. Practice with problems such as 6+22, and 9+41, to give kids

practice identifying the larger number first, then adding the smaller number. This

is an important addition skill. For Penny Subtraction, start on the larger number

and move backwards.

 The hundreds chart can be used to start kids adding numbers that would

normally be too big for them to handle in normal calculations. Give a problem like

31+25. Have kids put a counter on the first number. When adding a number

bigger than 10, first add tens by moving the counter down that many places.

From 31, kids would move down 2 rows, going from 31, to 41, to 51. Then look at

the ones place (5) and move the counter to the right five times, counting: 52, 53,

54, 55, 56. 31+25=56.

 This is done just like Big Addition, but kids learn to start on the bigger number,

move up by tens, and then move to the left by ones to solve subtraction

problems.

 Say any number and have kids add 9. Go all over the chart: 3+9, 78+9, 35+9.

What patterns do children notice every time you add 9? Give plenty of time

adding one number, then move on to another. What patterns do you notice when

you add 11? What about 20?

 Practice counting by 10s, but with a twist: start anywhere on the hundreds chart.

Take turns telling each other where to start, and count by 10s to (around) 100.

For example: start on 52 and count: 62, 72, 82, 92. When kids are good at this,

count by 2s starting on every number. Or count backwards by 10s, or backwards

by 2s!
 Give kids each a 100s chart and a counter. Take turns rolling 2 dice and moving

your counter along the chart that many times. The first to get to 100 wins. (You

can add a more challenging element to this game by having kids predict where

on the chart they will land after rolling the dice. Example: if a child is on number

10 and rolls a 2 and a 4, can he predict that he will land on 16 before counting

this out on the chart? If so, he can move an extra space.)

Two-Color Counters toss
Another must-have manipulative are the two-color (red and yellow) counters. They have

many uses and help little learners learn to count, make patterns, add, and subtract.

They are an essential tool for teaching addition that I use frequently. Students use them

for independent practice and help in solving addition and subtraction problems. I keep

sets of 20 these colored counters in small containers students to use when needed.

This set of ten frames with magnetic counters would be great for many number

concepts.

Materials:

 Two-color counters (e.g., red-yellow)

 Two-Color-Counter Toss Recording Sheet (attached)

 Probability Statements activity sheet (attached)

 Two-Color-Counter Toss with One Counter Recording Sheet

 Two-Color-Counter Toss with Two Counters Recording Sheet

 Scissors

 Glue

Game process:
 Hold up a red-yellow counter, and ask students which color will be facing up

when you toss the counter and it lands. Guide them to reason that there are two

possible outcomes of tossing the counter—red side up or yellow side up—and

that the probability of each outcome is equally likely. Make sure students

understand these vocabulary terms as they apply to this situation.

 Group students in pairs, and tell students that each pair is going to experiment

with tossing a counter 10timesto see which of the two outcomes happens the

most. Ask students whether they think there will be(a)more red t yellow results,

(b) more yellow than red results, or (c) the same number of red and yellow

results.  One of these three possible outcomes will be the experiment’s result.

Have each student predict  the experiment’s result individually and record it.

Then, have each pair discuss their individual predictions  of the experiment’s

result.

 Distribute copies of the Two-Color-Counter Toss Recording Sheet, and give each

pair a red-yellow counter. Direct partners to  toss their counters 10 times and tally

the tossing results on their individual recording sheets  in the Experiment 1 table.

 Have partners repeat the experiment, tallying the tossing results in the

Experiment 2 table, totaling the results, determining the experiment’s result.

 Record all students’ tossing results in a class chart similar to the one shown on

the recording sheet. Have students total the red results and the yellow results.
 Ask whether the combined totals lead to a result that is closer  to their predictions

than their own experiments’ results

Geoboard

 Is a mathematical manipulative used to explore basic concepts in plane geometry such

as perimeter, area and the characteristics of triangles and other polygons. It consists of

a physical board with a certain number of nails half driven in, around which are
wrapped geo bands that are made of rubber bands can also be used. Geoboards were

invented and popularized in the 1950s by Egyptian mathematician Caleb

Gattegno (1911-1988). Geoboards are great for building shapes and learning about

different geometry concepts. They make a great math center for children to explore.

You could give children pictures to copy or specific tasks to complete with a geoboard.

Teaching proper care and safety with the elastic bands is important. Check out this set

of small plastic geoboards.

Bucket Balance

Bucket balances are helpful tools in comparing different objects and volumes of liquid.

In primary grades, we often use them to observe and estimate which of two objects is
the heaviest. I like this balance scale because items can be easily put in and taken out

by children during their exploration.

Features removable ½-liter buckets. The buckets are clear to help students see what

they are measuring. Measures 16"L × 5.75"W × 5"H. The balance helps students

explore the measurement of mass with accuracy to 1 gram.

ABACUS

The abacus (the suanpan is the most useful variety) is a deceptively simple calculating

tool still used all over the world. It's a useful learning device for the visually impaired, as

well as for anyone who wants to learn the roots of the modern calculator. After learning

the basics of counting on the abacus, you can quickly perform arithmetic like addition,

subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Process:

 Orient your abacus properly. Each column in the top row should have one or

two beads per row, while each column in the bottom row should have four. When

you start, all of the beads should be up in the top row, and down in the bottom

row. The beads in the top row represent the number value 5 and each bead in

the bottom row represents the number value 1.

 Assign each column a place value. As on a modern calculator, each column of

beads represents a "place" value from which you build a numeral. So, the

farthest column on the right would be the "ones" place (1-9), the second farthest

the "tens" place (10-99), the third farthest the hundreds (100-999), and so on.

 tart counting with the beads in the lower row. To count a digit, push one bead

to the "up" position. "One" would be represented by pushing a single bead from

the bottom row in the farthest column on the right to the "up" position, "two" by

pushing two, etc.

 Complete the "4/5 exchange.” Since there are only four beads on the bottom

row, to go from "four" to "five," you push the bead on the top row to the "down"

position and push all four beads from the bottom row down. The abacus at this

position is correctly read "five." To count "six," push one bead from the bottom

row up, so the bead in the top row is down (representing a value of 5) and one

bead from the bottom row is up

 Repeat the pattern for higher numbers. The process is essentially the same

across the abacus. Go from "nine," in which all the beads in the ones place are
 pushed up and the bead in the top row is pushed down, to "ten," in which a single

bead from the bottom row of the tens place is pushed up (while the beads in the

ones place are pushed back to their starting or "0" position).

Fraction War

Materials:

 Deck of Cards

 Pencil

 Paper

 Pencils

Students take turns playing "war" using a deck of cards and a pencil to act as the

fraction line. The pair of students must then decide who has the larger fraction based on

the four cards played. The winner gets to keep all the cards. Player with most cards at
end wins.

Goal: to develop quick comparison of fraction values

Rules:

 Shuffle and deal the cards.

 Each player puts their cards faced down in a pile.

 Both players turn over TWO cards at the same time (one above the pencil and

one below).

 The player whose cards has the larger fraction wins all four cards.

 Players may use the paper to figure equivalent fractions or use the Tip Sheet.

 If players turn over equivalent fractions, then there is a fraction war.

 Each player places 2 new cards face down and the 3rd & 4th card face up (one

above the pencil and one below).

 Whoever has the higher fraction wins all the cards.

 The game can continue until one player has all the cards or for a given amount of

time.

Fraction War Tips and Tricks

 If two fractions have a common denominator, the fraction with the larger

numerator is the larger fraction. Ex: 3/5 > 2/5

 If two fractions have a common numerator, the fraction with the smaller

denominator is larger. Ex: 1/4 > 1/8

 If you are unsure about which fraction is larger, use the fraction strips to

compare.
 Geometric Solids

Having actual geometric solids that can be held helps children learn what 3D shapes

are and their features. I suggest creating an anchor chart with 3D shapes listed and

recording the properties of each together. These large geometic solids would make

good models for teacher’s lessons. Give students their own shapes to hold and feel

during lessons. These clear geometric solids are see through to help children visualize

its features and they have removable bases so students can compare 2D and 3D

shapes. How cool is that? Plus geometric solids make for great exploration where

towers and castles and all sorts of structures can be built.

XY Coordinate Pegboards

XY Coordinate Pegboards can be used to graph coordinates in one, two, or four

quadrants; show translations of geometric figures; display data in various forms; and

demonstrate numerous algebraic concepts and relationships. 

 Flashcards

Flashcards focus on recognizing groups of objects from 1 to 10.  The key is to teach the

child to recognize how many objects are in a group without counting.  The way a child

is able to do this is by recognizing the combinations that make up a certain number.

This method is great at training a child's mental math ability.

Materials:

 I took index cards, cut them in half.

 then used markers to make five sets of groups of objects from 0 to 10.

 using a different shape for each set.  

Here are some of the activities that we do with these flashcards:

1. Finding combinations activity

 Let's say we're working on the number 7.  I'll lay out all of the flashcards

randomly (you could always lay out fewer if it seems too daunting for your

child).  I'll tell Izzy to, as quickly as possible, find two cards at a time that

make 7, and to find all the combinations that she can.  So, she'll have to

pair up 2 and 5, 3 and 4, for example.  I'll usually put the timer on, record
 her time, and then if we do it again another day, she'll see if she can beat

it.  Some kids may not like to be timed, but Izzy is pretty competitive and

likes the challenge.

2. Find the number activity

 I'll lay out the flashcards randomly again, and tell Izzy to find all of the

cards with a certain number of objects, as quickly as she can.  I'll either

have her find the cards with the number that we're currently working on, or

this can be used to review previous numbers.  I may tell her to find three

cards with 6 objects, then once she finds those, have her find three cards

with 8 objects, etc. Again, the key is to not rely on counting.  She's looking

for the combinations that make up a certain number.  (Unless she can

recognize a group just by looking at it - usually 6 or 7 and under are easy

to recognize this way. I usually time her with this one, too.

3. Make the number activity

 This time, I'll sort the flashcards by number and lay each set in a pile,  So,

all of the cards with one object are in a pile, all of the cards with two

objects are in another pile, etc. I'll choose a card from one of the piles, say

one with 5 objects.  I'll show the card to Izzy and say, "Make 9" (for

example).  She'll have to 1) figure out how many objects are on my card,

2) figure out how many more objects are needed to make 9 - in this case

4, and 3) find a card with that many objects (again, in this case 4).

 I'll continue this, randomly choosing cards and randomly asking her to

make different numbers until we can't make anymore.

  This is a good review activity.

4.  Flashcards

 I sometimes use these as plain ole' flashcards, showing her each one,

and having her tell me how many objects are on the card.  Again, it's

important to avoid any guessing, so, especially with the larger

numbers, I'll have her explain how she knows there are eight objects,

for example.

5. War

 Another good review activity is the classic game of War.  Instead of

using a deck of cards, we'll use these flashcards.  It's usually pretty

easy to tell who wins each hand, but to reinforce the math, I'll have her

tell me how many are on her card and how she knows.

In mathematics education, a manipulative is an object which is designed so that a

learner can perceive some mathematical concept by manipulating it, hence its name.
The use of manipulatives provides a way for children to learn concepts through
developmentally appropriate hands-on experience.
The use of manipulatives in mathematics classrooms throughout the world grew
considerably in popularity throughout the second half of the 20th century. Mathematical
manipulatives are frequently used in the first step of teaching mathematical concepts,
that of concrete representation. The second and third steps are representational and
abstract, respectively.
Mathematical manipulatives can be purchased or constructed by the teacher. Examples
of commercial manipulatives include unifix cubes; tangrams; Cuisenaire
rods; numicon[1] patterns; color tiles; base ten blocks (also known as Dienes or
multibase blocks);[2]interlocking cubes; pattern blocks; colored chips;[3] links; fraction
strips,[4] blocks, or stacks; Shape Math;[5] Polydron; Zometool; rekenreksand geoboards.
Examples of teacher-made manipulatives used in teaching place value are beans and
bean sticks or bundles of ten popsiclesticks and single popsicle sticks.
Virtual manipulatives for mathematics are computer models of these objects. Notable
collections of virtual manipulatives include The National Library of Virtual
Manipulatives and the Ubersketch.
Multiple experiences with manipulatives provide children with the conceptual foundation
to understand mathematics at a conceptual level and are recommended by the NCTM.
Some of the manipulatives are now used in other subjects in addition to mathematics.
For example, Cuisenaire rods are now used in language arts and grammar, and pattern
blocks are used in fine arts.

Why Is It Important?
According to learning theory based on psychologist Jean Piaget's research, children are
active learners who master concepts by progressing through three levels of knowledge--
concrete, pictorial, and abstract. The use of manipulatives enables students to explore
concepts at the first, or concrete, level of understanding. When students manipulate
objects, they are taking the necessary first steps toward building understanding and
internalizing math processes and procedures. For example, when learning to
add fractions, students can use fraction strips to represent each addend. They then add
the fractional parts to find the sum. After practicing with these, they can progress to
finding sums for problems on paper, represented by pictures with corresponding fraction
numerals (pictorial level). Over time, they will devise strategies and apply algorithms so
they can find sums when given only the addition expression (abstract level).