A few years ago, I had never heard of rekenreks, let alone ever used one in my classroom. The math coach in my building introduced rekenreks to my team a few years back. We started using rekenreks in the classroom and fell in love with them. There are so many great uses for rekenreks that can be used in the classroom for lessons and math stations. I’m going to share with you how I have used rekenreks in my math workshop that are fun, effective, and engaging for students!
Now, before I get into the nitty-gritty of rekenreks I have just the thing for you if you are looking for games to try! Make centers fun with these free games sent directly to your inbox! Just a teacher helping out another teacher! Click here to get started and make your math centers more engaging and fun!
What is a Rekenrek?
Rekenreks are a perfect hands-on math manipulative for students to use in the classroom. It simply is a math frame that has two rows of 10 beads, each broken into two sets of 5 beads. On each row, you will have 5 white beads and 5 red beads. This makes it easier for students to subitize and relate to 5’s and 10’s as well. With the rekenrek, students can model and solve problems the same as they would with Unifix cubes, but the built-in structure of the rekenrek allows students the flexibility to develop different ways to make numbers as well.
How Do Rekenreks Work?
Rekenreks are math manipulatives that are designed to help students visualize addition and subtraction strategies. Rekenreks also help build on the benchmark of 5 and 10, having students be no more than 2 or 3 away from any given number when adding or subtracting. They also are great for subitizing, for example, making the number 14 with eight beads and six beads, ten and four, or more advanced combinations such as five, five, two, and two. Rekenreks also help with counting by 5’s and 10’s, making skip counting easier to visualize for the students. It is truly a hands-on math manipulative that is perfect for students to use in the classroom!
Rekenrek Math Activites
There are many ways to use Rekenreks in the classroom that can be found on the internet and through social media. I am going to share a few with you that I have used in my math lessons and math stations that I found to be easy, fun, and effective for the students.
Quick Images with Rekenreks
This is one of my favorite activities to do with my students, and I love using it with my Number Talks. This is perfect for recognizing numbers and matching numbers to the beads on the rekenrek. First, I start with the rekenrek facing me. I tell students that there will be beads arranged in a way and they will have 1-2 seconds to look at how the beads are arranged, then I will cover it back up and then ask how many beads they saw.
I show my students the rekenrek for 1-2 seconds to see how many beads they see. Then I cover it back up. Next, I ask students how many beads they saw. I take as many answers as time will allow. From here I reveal the answer by showing them the rekenrek again.
Then I ask the students to share what strategies they used to figure out the number of beads on the rekenrek. While they explain their answer, I am writing it down on a whiteboard, chart paper, or whatever I have available. This way the other students can see the visual representation of what other students are explaining. I call on as many students as possible so they can share their ideas. This is the most important part because students are exchanging ideas with each other and sharing their strategies. It helps others find different ways to solve problems presented and I find that learning from each other is just as effective if not more than me telling them other strategies. So try out this activity when you have a chance!
Show Me a Way with Rekenreks
This is a great way to focus on number sense. Each student has a rekenrek and I give them a number (example 8). I have my students show me eight on their rekenrek. I ask students to share their ideas and I write them on the board. Then I ask students to look for other ways to make the number I had given them.
I might challenge students by showing me a way to make a number (example 8) and then ask them to find a way using 3 numbers. Students like the challenge.
Story Problems with Rekenreks
Story problems can be hard for students to grasp in the beginning. I always love using any kind of manipulatives I can to help students understand the story problem they have in front of them. Rekenreks are perfect for this. I have students act out the problem using the beads on the rekenrek. It helps students visualize the story problem and how to solve it. For example, I can have a story problem “There were 9 cows in the barn. 3 went to the field. How many cows were still left in the barn?” I can have the students act out the problem by sliding 9 beads over to start. Then I can have my students slide back 3 beads to get the answer. This is a quick and easy way to visualize story problems.
How Many More to 10 or 20? with Rekenreks
This is another great activity that rekenreks are perfect for. This activity works on missing addends. You simply give students a number, (example 6), and ask students “How many more to get to 10?” Students can use the rekenrek to figure out the answer. For example, students would slide 8 beads to the left and see that 2 beads are still on the right, so they would need 2 more to get to 10.
You could also do this for the number twenty as well. You could give them the number 14, then ask students “How many more to get to 20?” Students would slide 14 beads to the left and see that 6 beads are still on the right, so they would need 6 more to get to 20.
Guess My Way with Rekenreks
This game is perfect for practice number bonds. I start the activity by making a number on my rekenrek, for example, 7 (4 beads on top and 3 beads on the bottom). I have the rekenrek facing away from the students. I then tell them “I have 7. How did I make my number?” Then the students use their rekenrek to determine the way I use to get to 7. When they have a way, they show me their rekenrek. I look at it and say “Yes, you have it.” or “That’s a way to make 7, but it’s not my way.” and the students know that they have to try again. Students go until they find my way (with the 4 beads on top and the 3 beads on the bottom).
This is a great way to review number bonds and it’s a great, easy station to have your students do when they are playing a partner game!
One More/One Less with Rekenreks
Rekenreks can also help students figure out what number is one more/less than a number given. Students can simply slide over the number given (for example 5), then either add a bead or take away a bead to figure out the answer (one more 6, one less 4).
Again, this is a great visual for students to see and subitize any given number.
Rekenreks in Math
Rekenreks are a perfect hands-on math manipulative for students to use in the classroom. Rekenreks also help build on the benchmark of 5 and 10, having students be no more than 2 or 3 away from any given number when adding or subtracting. They also are great for subitizing, counting by 5’s and 10’s, making skip counting easier to visualize for the students. It is truly a hands-on math manipulative that is perfect for students to use in the classroom!
Try one of these activities next time you are working with your students, or looking for your next math station for your students to use the rekenrek with.
Let me know in the comments below your favorite rekenrek activity or one that you have used before!
Free Math Games
Related Articles
10 Awesome Math Manipulatives to use with your Math Centers
How to Teach Numbers to 10 with this Easy Number Talks Lessons
