A simple but powerful tool in the preK-1 classroom is the counting strip.  Different than the number line, a counting strip is made up of 10 to 20 small rectangles and written in each rectangle is a number starting with ‘1’.   Because young students need a lot of opportunities to simply count, the counting strips serves as a great foundation to later work with the number line and 10-frame.

Why is the counting strip such a powerful tool?

• Small objects such as beans can be placed one per rectangle which allows for easy counting
• As students count the objects they get a concrete representation of one-to-one correspondence
• Reinforces the number sequence
• Students begin to connect quantity with the written numbers
• Reinforces cardinality – the last number stated refers to the whole group
• Serves as a guide as students learn how to write the numbers
• Builds the foundation for work on the number line
• Can reinforce the 5 and 10 benchmarks if the number strips are shaded (see photo below)

Although we include counting strips in our kits, they can easily be made by cutting and taping inch graph paper into strips and writing on the numbers or by cutting apart a hundreds chart and taping the strips together.

Of course, the number strip described above is limited to small objects.  How much fun would it be to create a life-sized number strip on the floor using masking tape and large printed out numbers!  Then the kids become the objects.  The possible real-life scenarios are endless: There are 5 students with blue eyes and 4 students with green eyes.  How many students in the class have either blue or green eyes?  Let’s count them.  Or…How many students prefer prefer pumpkin pie over apple pie?  Let’s count them.  Or…

When it comes to the counting strip, sometimes it’s the simple things that pack the most powerful punch.

And speaking of simple and powerful, our Family Math Night events are just that.  Our kits contain everything you need to host a successful event where kids and parents leave saying, “When can we do that again?”  And when it comes to math, that’s pretty powerful.