Hundreds Chart Activities

Number recognition and counting from 1-100 and 1-120 are the foundations of math. After students can identify a number, the next skills to be taught are usually skip counting and identifying numbers on a Hundreds Chart. This is where some students begin to get confused, and this is a skill that must be mastered before more advanced skills can be taught.

If a student does not master these skills, addition, subtraction, and money skills will not come with ease. Therefore, today’s post focuses on the skills of skip counting and recognizing patterns using a Hundreds Chart (and even moving beyond to 120!).

What is Skip Counting and How Does it Relate to Hundreds Chart Activities?

Skip Counting is the big term used for counting by 2s, 5s, 10s, and 100s. These skills will be touched upon in Kindergarten and First Grade, and they usually need to be mastered by the beginning of Second Grade. Once a student can count from 1-100 easily (and that means around two minutes with limited to no prompting), it is time to teach skip counting!

In my opinion, skip counting by 10s and 5s is the easiest. These skills will help with adding, subtracting, money, and patterns. Before we dive into the hundreds chart activities, here are some simple ways you can incorporate skip counting into your classroom:

• The Ball Toss: Pass a toy or foam ball around in a circle and skip count. For example, have the class sit down or stand in a circle and pass a ball around, counting by 5s until someone reaches 100 or 120. This is a great warm-up activity for your math block or a time filler if you have a few minutes to fill. You could also exchange a toy or foam ball for movement – every time a student says a number, they can clap, jump, hop, etc.
  
  

• The Register Paper Number Line: Keep track of how many days you are in school! Use a long strip of register paper. Each day, add the number, but write skip counting numbers in different colors (ex: 2s in green, 5s in purple, and 10s in orange).
  
  

• Casual Money Talk: When introducing money, point out that pennies count by 1, nickels by 5, and dimes by 10. Just knowing this makes teaching money much easier later on!
  
  

• Skip Counting Videos: Some of my students’ favorite Skip Counting videos are by Pinkfong and Jack Hartmann!

Using a Hundreds Chart to See Patterns

A Hundreds Chart is a perfect way to teach skip counting because it makes the patterns visual. Whenever I teach this, I have my students take out three specific crayons so that we are all using the same colors.

Counting by 2s: First, we color or circle all the numbers, skip counting by 2. I ask my students to tell me what they notice. They should see a pattern! They’ll see that counting by 2s is every other number, and the numbers always end in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8. This is also a great time to talk about odd and even numbers!

Counting by 5s and 10s: Next, take another crayon and circle the 5s. Discuss the vertical columns that form. Then, circle the numbers that skip count by 10s with another color. Point out how special each column is; for instance, all the numbers that end in 1 are in the same column. This really helps when a child has to identify exactly where a number “lives” on the board.

For more detailed Skip Counting activities using a Hundreds Chart, check out this blog post.

Taking it to the Next Level: Hundreds Chart Puzzles and Beyond

In addition to practicing counting to 100 or 120, I love to expose my students to the Hundreds Chart or 120 Chart with hands-on activities. Here are some of my students’ favorite hundreds chart activities:

Blank and Filled Hundreds Charts (Up to 120!)
Depending on which Hundreds Chart my students are working on, I like to give them a copy in a sheet protector. To practice identifying numbers on the Hundreds Chart, I will call out a number for students to find on their Hundreds Chart. They will either cover it using a Bingo chip or circle it with a dry-erase marker. For an assessment or a challenge, you can also have your students fill in a blank Hundreds Chart from 1-100 or 1-120, using only even numbers, using only odd numbers, or skip counting by 2s, 5s, or 10s.

Hundreds Chart Puzzles
Hundreds Chart Puzzles are a great assessment! You can have students cut out pieces of a Hundreds Chart, assemble it in order, and glue it to a paper or math journal. Additionally, you could print these on colorful paper, laminate them, cut them apart, and store them in a bag for students to solve. When first introducing these, I like to put my students into groups to work together. Then, I add them to our math centers. They would also be great for early finishers!

Fill-in-the-Blank Hundreds Charts
With these activities, my students are shown a small snippet of a Hundreds Chart (like a T-shape or a cross) and have to fill in the missing numbers. It looks easy, but students often struggle because they want to count by 1s horizontally. They have to remember that in a column, the numbers change by 10. If they struggle, let them use a completed Hundreds Chart as a “map” until they get the hang of it! Another fun activity I like to have my students complete to gain practice with numbers to 120 is this fun Numbers to 120 Scoot Game. It contains pieces of a 120 chart, and students have to fill in the missing numbers on their recording sheet.

Technology Extensions
As I enjoy incorporating technology into the classroom (in a modified way), I love to pair these Hundreds Chart activities with some digital games. My favorite is “Give The Dog a Bone!“ Students are given a blank Hundreds Chart and one minute to find ten hidden bones. They are given a number and must find where it is located on the Hundreds Chart. If they’ve practiced with the puzzles and charts, they’ll know exactly where to click! To introduce this game to my students, I model it first and then have the class try it out in groups on the interactive board. Then, I’ll add the game to Google Classroom or Clever for them to play on their own during a lesson or free time.

“Paint the Squares” is also another great interactive game. It has multiple charts you can use to differentiate for students. You can call out a number for students to locate on the Hundreds Chart, and they click on the number to cover it with a colored square or paint splat. What’s awesome about this site is that it contains missing number charts, puzzle charts, 1 more and 1 less charts, and much more! It makes it easy to differentiate and challenge students!

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