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Five frames are one tool to help children start to structure quantities in their minds, which will help build their number sense.
Before children can hold numbers in their minds (visualize and hold a numerical composite), they need to see and experiment with settings like the five frame.
Repeated exposure to this organization and structure helps children transition to quickly counting and holding quantities in their minds.
The beauty of this structure is that you can always use everyday household items!
Instead of the red circles and printed column (shown below) grab some:
-dry beans, or dry macaroni pieces, buttons, or some dry cereal pieces
-Use a scrap piece of paper and draw a rectangle divided into 5 equal parts.
Typically you want to guide children to start their count from the left and work toward the right.
To further guide instruction, consider downloading The Kid's Math Talk free parent and teacher resource which breaks down different levels in the progression of understanding the number five.
