Learning Math Facts With Cuisenaire Rods

Brain Research tells us that being physically involved with the learning process helps learning. 

It also suggests that use of color helps make connections. 

Teachers know that kids (and adults) tend to key into color, and children love to use manipulatives!

 

With Cuisenaire Rods (see picture) the white rod, the smallest, is one cubic centimeter.(This is the same size as a standard base ten block.) The longest rod is orange. When the children put the rods by length, they make a colorful "staircase". (See picture.)

 

 

The children can then assign values to each rod by color based on the relationship of the other rods.

I like to start with sets of ten, since our number system is based on ten.  It's good for them to know those combinations of ten!

 

Since the orange rod has a value of 10, this
picture shows 9+1=10. It also shows 1+9=10.  

It also shows 10-1=9 as well as 10-9=1.

 

What fact family do these blocks show?  6+4=10, 4+6=10, 10-6=4, and 10-4=6.  

 







This one shows 6+6=12 and 12-6=6

 



 The Cuisenaire Rods can also be used for multiple addends or even multiplication.  This could be 3+3+3+3=12 or 3x4=12.

When it comes to storage, the containers the rods come in are tricky for the kids to put away.  I put my Cuisenaire Rods into a container much easier for little hands.

I made these center sheets for the students. I prefer the children work with partners on activities like this since the conversations they have help the learning.  If you run these off back to back, you can make two-sided, half-size papers.

Click the image or click here for the sample: Fact Families with Cuisenaire Rods Sample!

For more sheets like this, click here: Fact Families with Cuisenaire Rods

I also have a resource to develop Number Sense with Cuisenaire Rods that can be found HERE.

Plus, a chance to build with the rods and add up the sums with multiple addends HERE. (This one is a favorite... they LOVE building with the rods!)

All these resources can be found as a bundled set HERE.

For a more advanced bundle of place value activities see: HERE.