Help your Year 1 child understand tens and ones through simple, hands-on play.

Pasta Towers is a practical place value activity that helps children see how two-digit numbers are made from tens and ones. As they thread pasta onto separate tens and ones towers, they'll build and describe numbers physically and begin to understand that each ten represents ten ones.

Simple to set up and easy to adapt, you'll receive a parent-friendly guide with clear instructions, practical learning tips and ideas to extend the play as your child's confidence grows. The activity is designed to be flexible. Use playdough to hold two sticks, skewers or pieces of dry spaghetti upright, then thread tube pasta onto each tower to represent the tens and ones in different numbers.

Skills Explored

• Understanding that numbers are made of tens and ones
• Representing place value
• Recognising that each ten represents 10 ones
• Reading and building two-digit numbers

You'll Need

• Playdough
• Two thin sticks, skewers or pieces of dry spaghetti
• Tube pasta such as penne or rigatoni

Optional:

• Number cards

Digital Download

This is an instant digital download. No physical product will be posted. Once your purchase is complete, you'll receive immediate access to your file, ready to enjoy at home.

These resources are for personal use only and are designed to support learning within your own family or household. They may not be copied, shared, altered or resold.

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