Activities that involve counting, grouping and comparing quantities help children develop number sense. Unifix cubes can help children learn about relationships between numbers in a visual and hands-on way. A student can count out groups of unifix cubes and stack each group to compare which quantity is larger. Students can use the cubes to understand skip counting, by stacking the blocks in groups of two, five or 10, then referring to the groups as they skip count. Being able to visually process counting activities is helpful for children who struggle with number sense.
Unifix cubes can be used to teach students about the concepts of base 10 and place values. Students can stack 10 cubes together for a base-10 block, then can use single cubes to represent the number in the ones place. For example, have students show you the number 14 using the stacked base-10 block and four single cubes. Discuss how the number is written using a one in the tens place and a four in the ones place. The base-10 block can help students understand why there is a one in the 10s place (because there is one base-10 block) instead of the number 10.
Patterning can be done with unifix cubes using pattern cards or by asking the students to make their own patterns. Make your own pattern cards by drawing colored squares on sentence strips that match the colors of the unifix cubes you have. Start with simple patterns such as ABAB or ABCABC. When students become more advanced, create complex patterns to challenge them. If you ask students to create their own patterns, they can create patterns using the colors of the cube or the number of cubes they stack. Let them work in groups and see what types of patterns they can create,
One-to-one correspondence is when a student can match one object with another object, making equal sets. For example, one napkin for each person having dinner, one sock for each foot or one number for each object being counted. This skill is important for counting and developing number sense. Have students count groups of unifix cubes to work on this skill. They must touch each cube and say one number per cube. Students can also practice this skill by placing cubes into egg cartons or muffin tins. They must place one cube in each compartment to display 12 cubes. Make cards with different numbers to correspond with, using stickers or stamps. For example, display the number eight with eight star stickers and the student can place eight cubes on the card.