What a benefit that, unlike other subjects that are more conceptual, math has the advantage of being so tangible in the younger years! Take advantage of this opportunity to incorporate manipulatives as often as you can with your students. Manipulatives—physical objects that students can use to explore and understand mathematical ideas—play a critical role in enhancing learning. From base-ten blocks and fraction tiles to counters and geometric shapes, manipulatives offer a hands-on approach that helps students make sense of mathematical concepts.
1. Enhancing Conceptual Understanding
One of the primary benefits of using manipulatives is their ability to make abstract mathematical concepts more concrete. Many students struggle to grasp math concepts like fractions, multiplication, or place value when they are presented solely through symbols and numbers. Manipulatives allow students to physically see and touch these concepts, which helps them make connections between the abstract and the concrete.
For example, using fraction tiles can help students understand how different fractions relate to one another, and how adding or subtracting fractions works in a visual and tangible way. Similarly, base-ten blocks can be used to illustrate place value, allowing students to see how tens, hundreds, and thousands are built up and broken down. This hands-on experience makes it easier for students to internalize mathematical concepts, leading to a deeper and more lasting understanding. We love to use real measuring cups for baking and using our play rice to help us learn to divide and add fractions.
2. Promoting Active Learning
Manipulatives encourage students to engage actively with math problems, rather than passively receiving information. By physically moving objects, students take ownership of the learning process, which can increase motivation and enthusiasm for the subject. Active learning through manipulatives helps students experiment with different problem-solving strategies, make mistakes, and try again—all of which are essential components of a productive learning environment.
We are BIG chalk proponents. If the weather is nice, you can usually find us doing school outside. Various colors of chalk are perfect for drawing empty shapes and “filling” them with fractions. This active manipulation allows students to learn by doing, making the learning process more dynamic and interactive. As students become more engaged, they are also more likely to retain the information and develop a positive attitude toward math.
3. Supporting Diverse Learning Styles
Every student learns differently, and manipulatives are especially beneficial for accommodating a variety of learning styles. My oldest struggles with recall. She tries so hard to just remember things and ends up frustrated. By giving her manipulatives it forces her to slow down, and she doesn’t put the pressure on herself to just remember, but to interact with the manipulatives to help her get to the answer she needs. Manipulatives cater to kinesthetic and visual learners, who benefit from hands-on activities and visual aids to process information.
For kinesthetic learners, manipulatives provide a tactile experience that helps them understand mathematical relationships through movement and touch. Visual learners benefit from seeing the objects arranged in patterns or groups, helping them see mathematical relationships unfold before their eyes. By incorporating manipulatives into math instruction, teachers can create a more inclusive classroom that meets the needs of all learners, helping each student reach their full potential.
4. Building Problem-Solving Skills
Problem-solving is at the heart of mathematics, and manipulatives offer a valuable tool for helping students develop and refine these skills. When students work with manipulatives, they are not just memorizing formulas or procedures—they are exploring different ways to approach and solve problems. This experimentation leads to deeper thinking and a better understanding of how math works.
For example, when solving a math problem using arrays of counters, students can physically arrange the objects to see how to get there. This allows them to explore different strategies, such as breaking numbers down into smaller, more manageable parts (e.g., using the distributive property). By encouraging students to try different approaches, manipulatives help build critical thinking and problem-solving skills that go beyond rote memorization. Just the other day we laid out 10 counting bears. We moved 1 bear over at a time, creating an “addition” problem, showing all of the different number combinations that added together to make 10!
5. Supporting Students with Special Needs
Manipulatives are particularly beneficial for students with special needs, including those with learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, or other challenges that make traditional math instruction more difficult. For these students, manipulatives provide an alternative way to access and engage with math concepts. By offering a hands-on experience, manipulatives can help bridge gaps in understanding and give students with special needs a more tangible way to approach problem-solving.
For example, students with dyscalculia, a learning disability that affects number sense, can use manipulatives to physically group and count objects, which can help them better understand number relationships and operations. Similarly, students with ADHD may benefit from the interactive nature of manipulatives, which allows them to stay engaged and focused on the task at hand.
Manipulatives offer a powerful tool for enhancing math education. They make abstract concepts more concrete, promote active learning, support diverse learning styles, build problem-solving skills, foster collaboration, and support students with special needs. Most importantly, manipulatives help students develop a growth mindset, empowering them to embrace challenges and become confident, capable mathematicians. By incorporating manipulatives into math instruction, you can create a more engaging and effective learning environment that meets the needs of YOUR student.
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Some of our favorite manipulatives:
Mini Hashtag Puzzle Sets from Target are $1 for 72. They come in an array of colors and can double as a busy activity while you’re working with another student or even in the car.
Depending on the time of year and your area, you can find similar letter & number tile blocks in the Dollar Spot at Target. You can see them in a pic above.
Counting Bears are an awesome staple for any homeschool manipulative collection! They can be used for anything from sorting, pattern making, to actual counting and math.
10 Stacks are another classic manipulative that can be super helpful when counting well beyond 10, working on counting by 5, 10s, etc…
Of course as a homeschool family you also likely have a collection of sticks, rocks, leaves, shells, acorns, pine cones, etc….Put them to use! Collect them with intention to use as manipulatives like the counting bears!
What other fun manipulatives do you like to use?
Find more content like this:
- A Math Teacher Reviews CTC Math
- Episode 56: How to Homeschool Math in High School with Less Stress
- Using an Online Math Curriculum—with a review of Unlock Math
- Homeschool High School Math ONLINE with Mr. D Math – an exclusive interview!
- The Number One Reason Your Kid HATES Math (no matter which age or grade)
- Why NOT to use Math Manipulatives
Anna attended the University of Valley Forge where she met her husband and graduated with a degree in Secondary English Education with a concentration in Medieval and Renaissance Literature. Anna is a licensed Pennsylvania teacher and homeschool evaluator. She has over 20 years of child care and teaching experience including Vacation Bible School, Advanced Placement Courses, Honors, College Prep, Life Skills, Online Teaching, and Coaching. Anna has been a yearly speaker at the Rooted in Faith Homeschool Conference. She has been teaching with True North since 2021.
You can get to know her better at her blog, The Nurtured Bee.
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