List of Math Manipulatives Every Homeschool Needs

Math manipulatives are an important part of teaching homeschool math. And, they can help make math a lot of fun. Here’s what you need to know about how to use manipulatives in your homeschool. And, here’s a list of math manipulatives that you need- and which ones you can skip.

What are Math Manipulatives?

Math manipulatives are objects that can allow kids to see a math problem in a concrete way. Kids can use math manipulatives to help them understand new math concepts. Manipulatives are especially helpful for younger kids, and kids who are learning a new concept for the first time.

Although math manipulatives are very helpful for kids to understand math, they can get expensive fast for homeschool families. Having a list of math manipulatives that are necessary, and knowing which ones you don’t need, can be really helpful.

How Do Manipulatives Help Kids Understand Math?

When students are learning a new math concept, they usually progress through three phases of learning.

1. Concrete: The concrete phase is the first phase of learning a new concept in math. In this phase, kids need to use manipulatives to help them understand the new concept. A child who is learning addition, for example, would count out two piles of blocks and then physically push the piles together to add them.
2. Pictorial: In this phase, kids learn to replace the hands-on manipulatives with a picture. They are able to think about the concepts in their head with the support of a picture that illustrates the problem. In our addition example, this would be a child who can look at a picture of two groups of objects and add them together, without having to actually push together the two piles of objects.
3. Abstract: This is the final phase of understanding a math concept. In the abstract phase, kids can do the problem “in their head” without a picture or manipulatives to help them.

Manipulatives are important because they form the foundation for understanding in the very first concrete phase. Some kids can skip this step for some concepts, but younger kids especially need manipulatives to help them understand math.

Singapore Math is a great curriculum that uses the concrete-pictorial-abstract approach.

What if Our Math Lessons Don’t Use Manipulatives?

Most good math curricula will include lessons that use math manipulatives, especially for younger grades. Often a math curriculum will come with a list of math manipulatives that are recommended for that curriculum.

However, if your curriculum does not include lessons with manipulatives, you can still add them. Consider offering your child a set of counters or unifix cubes to solve the problems, especially if the concepts are new. Check out the list of math manipulatives below to see if there are any manipulatives that would help make the problems more concrete for your child. Once your child has an understanding of the new concept, they can transition to using pictures and then to doing the problems “in their head.”

Where to Buy Math Manipulatives

Many common math manipulatives are available on Amazon or through other educational resource stores. Learning Resources makes a wide variety of unique and affordable manipulatives. Another great place to shop for math manipulatives is at Fat Brain Toys.

How to Store Math Manipulatives

Although it’s totally possible to toss a bunch of plastic bags of manipulatives in a basket, it helps to organize your manipulatives so that you can see what you have and find things easily. A simple desktop drawer system can be a great way to organize your list of math manipulatives. Larger manipulatives can be stacked and stored in plastic shoeboxes. Having your manipulatives organized will help you be able to choose the perfect manipulatives for each lesson at a glance, and prevent you from purchasing duplicates.

List of Essential Math Manipulatives

Unifix Cubes

If I could only choose one thing from the list of math manipulatives for my homeschool, it would definitely be these unifix cubes. I love unifix cubes because they are so versatile.

One of my favorite things about using unifix cubes is that they can be counted individually, or stuck together in groups. We used unifix cubes to introduce the idea of place value. My son stuck 10 cubes together to make a ten bar. This was a great hands on way to understand the concept of ten- that it’s a group made up of ten units.

We also love to make patterns with unifix cubes. My son enjoys trying to trick me by making a complex pattern, and then asking me to guess what the pattern is. I love this particular set because it includes 5 different shapes on the sides of the cubes so kids can build even more complex patterns!

Use unifix cubes for teaching:

• Counting
• Addition and subtraction
• Comparing numbers
• Measurement with nonstandard units
• Making patterns
• Sorting colors and shapes
• Place value

Counters

Counters are one of the most versatile, and necessary, items to include on your list of math manipulatives for your homeschool. I like these counters because they are simple. The contrasting color on the reverse side is nice for showing subtraction and making patterns.

Common household items also make great counters. Cheerios are a favorite counter in our homeschool. We also use small candies like M+Ms for fun counters. Kids might enjoy seasonal counters, like jingle bells at Christmastime or heart-shaped erasers for Valentine’s Day.

Many families like to get a few sets of special counters to add some fun and variety to math lessons. Counters come in all sorts of shapes and themes, depending on your child’s interests. From teddy bears to trucks, ocean animals to pets, you can find unique counters for just about any interest.

Use counters for teaching:

• Numbers and counting
• Sorting by color and size
• Addition and subtraction
• Patterns

Base Ten Blocks

Base ten blocks are fantastic for helping kids understand any math problems that have to do with place value. A set of base ten blocks will include individual unit cubes, rods that are made up of 10 cubes, flat squares that are made up of 100 cubes, and large cubes that are made up of 1000 cubes. Base ten blocks are also called Dienes blocks.

One of our favorite math activities to do with base ten blocks is to practice exchanging in a hands-on way. Because my son loves trucks, we will often load up a toy truck with ten units, drive it over to the pile of blocks, and exchange them for a ten bar. Physically trading one kind of blocks for another helps kids understand place value better as they work.

Because base ten blocks are so helpful in allowing kids to visualize place value, I think they are a necessary item for every homeschool family’s list of math manipulatives.

Use base ten blocks for teaching:

• Place value
• Exchanging numbers
• Addition and subtraction
• Estimation
• Equivalence

List of Optional but Recommended Math Manipulatives

Cuisenaire Rods

Cuisenaire rods are a set of blocks that are color-coded according to their length. In this set, the white blocks are 1 cm long, the red are 2 cm long, the green are 3 cm long. The colored rods can be placed end to end to add numbers or measure length.

Although Cuisenaire rods are an incredibly versatile math manipulative, it can be confusing to figure out all of their possible uses if you aren’t familiar with them. A book like this one can be helpful for finding ideas for using Cuisenaire rods.

Although we have a set of Cuisenaire rods, I prefer using our Inchimals set instead. I’ll describe Inchimals in more depth under measurement below.

Use Cuisenaire rods for teaching:

• Counting
• Measurement
• Sorting and comparing by length, size, and color
• Addition and subtraction
• Multiplication (line up blocks next to a centimeter ruler)

Fraction Circles or Tiles

Fraction circles or fraction tiles are great for helping kids understand the concept of fractions in a hands-on way. I like that this set includes both the circles and the tiles, as both have their uses. Fraction circles are helpful for showing how fractions are a part of a whole. The tiles are really useful for finding equivalent fractions. This set is also magnetic, so the pieces can stick to a magnet board.

Fraction tiles are helpful for kids that are learning about the concept of fractions, but they can be helpful for older kids too. Kids can practice mathematical operations with fraction tiles before doing them in their heads. They can also understand the idea of equivalent fractions when they see tiles of the same length.

For kids who are studying fractions, fraction circles or tiles can really help to make a complicated subject easy to understand. For this reason, they are a great addition to your list of math manipulatives.

Use fraction circles or tiles for teaching:

• Fractions
• Equivalent fractions
• Adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions

List of Math Manipulatives for Geometry

Pattern Blocks

Pattern block sets include shapes with standard sizes and colors. Most sets usually include yellow hexagons, red trapezoids, green triangles, orange squares, blue parallelograms, and tan rhombuses. Because most pattern block sets are a standard size, you can download pattern block shape puzzles for your child online.

I like this set of pattern blocks because the blocks are magnetic, so they will stick to the enclosed board. This set also comes with picture cards that kids can use to match the blocks and create a picture.

Use pattern blocks for teaching:

• Shapes
• Patterns
• Sorting by color and shape
• Equivalence

Attribute Blocks

Attribute blocks are a less common alternative to pattern blocks, but they have a variety of uses and are a great homeschool math manipulative. This attribute block set includes 60 different shapes. Kids can sort them by shape, size, thickness, and color.

One of our favorite activities to do with our set of attribute blocks is to sort them into different categories. Sometimes I like to tie yarn in two overlapping circles to make a simple Venn diagram. My kids can then fill in the Venn diagram with attribute blocks. For example, they could put triangles on one side, red shapes on the other, and red triangles in the middle.

In addition to practicing math, this set is great for building fine motor, sensory, and critical thinking skills.

Use attribute blocks for teaching:

• Colors, shapes, sizes, and thickness
• Sorting, matching, and classifying
• Patterns
• Comparisons and equivalence
• Logic and critical thinking

Geometric Solids

Geometric solids are a really fun math manipulative for introducing the concept of the 3-D geometric shapes. It is much easier to understand the idea of a pyramid, sphere, cone, or cube when you can actually hold one, instead of just looking at a picture!

This set is versatile because the shapes are hollow inside. One end of each shape comes off so you can fill the shapes with water or rice to explore the concept of volume. The shapes are also transparent, so you can see what is inside (or play with them on a light table!).

Although having a set of geometric solids isn’t necessary for every homeschool, these make a fun addition to any list of math manipulatives.

Use geometric solids for teaching:

• Shapes
• Perimeter and Area
• Surface Area and Volume
• Sorting, comparisons and equivalence

Geoboard

A geoboard is a pegboard with nails sticking out. Kids can attach rubber bands to the nails to create shapes and designs. Geoboards are great for learning about shapes and angles in geometry.

This geoboard is made out of sturdy wood and comes with pattern cards that include suggestions of designs to make. Although this geoboard comes with its own rubber bands, you can also use rubber bands from an office supply store on your geoboard.

Use a geoboard for teaching:

• Shapes
• Sides and corners
• Angles
• Patterns and design

List of Math Manipulatives for Measurement

Balance Scale

A balance sale is the perfect math manipulative for teaching kids about equivalence. It is easy for kids to see when the weights of the items on both sides are equal and the scale is in balance. Equivalence can be a tricky concept for kids to understand, especially in algebra, so the opportunity to play with a balance scale can be really helpful in homeschooling.

This balance scale has removable buckets on each side, so the items that are being weighed can be contained in the buckets. It also comes with a set of weights, which are helpful if you want to teach kids about weighing instead of equivalence.

We like to play games with our balance scale to explore how to use it. My kids enjoy collecting various small toys to weigh. We also like to see if we can find groups of toys that weigh the same.

Use a balance scale for teaching:

• Equality and equivalence
• Weighing and measuring
• Inequality
• Comparisons

Inchimals

Inchimals are one of my family’s favorite math manipulatives! They are a little bit like Cuisenaire rods, but they are larger and each block has an animal on the side. There are 12 blocks in the set, ranging from the ladybug that is 1 inch tall to the giraffe that is 12 inches tall.

Inchimals are unique because the blocks are printed with inch rulers. This allows kids to use them to measure and compare numbers in a way that they can’t do with Cuisenaire rods.

In addition to the Inchimals blocks, the set comes with a dry erase book that includes 100 problems for practicing addition and subtraction with Inchimals. The uses for this unique manipulative go way beyond addition and subtraction, however!

Use Inchimals for teaching:

• Addition and subtraction
• Measurement
• Comparison, equality, and inequality
• Sorting and ordering
• Pre-algebra concepts

You can purchase Inchimals from Fat Brain Toys here!

Play Money and Cash Register

When your kids are learning about money, having some actual money to work with is an essential addition to the list of math manipulatives for your homeschool! It can be fun to go to the bank and get some real coins for your kids to use for their math problems. But, if you prefer pretend money, this set is a good buy.

A pretend cash register is a fun addition to go with the pretend money. Having a cash register encourages kids to play store or bank, and those kinds of math review activities and games can be a great way to practice identifying and counting coins and making change. This cash register has big buttons and a working drawer to hold the money inside.

Use play money and a cash register for teaching:

• Names and values of coins
• Addition and subtraction
• Relative value, greater and less than
• Counting coins and making change

Clock

Having a clock with hands on your list of math manipulatives is a great way to teach time telling to kids. The clock in this set has gears so that as the hour hand moves, the minute hand will move along with it. This kind of geared learning clock is also called a Judy clock.

I love this set because it also comes with some activities to help kids learn how to tell time. In addition to the Judy clock, you get a blank clock that you can write on with a dry erase marker. The kit also comes with special time-telling dice that you can use to play clock games, and a set of puzzles so kids can practice telling time.

Use a clock to teach:

• Telling time with an analog and a digital clock
• Hour and minute hands
• Counting by fives
• Sequences and patterns

Calendar

Filling out a calendar and checking the calendar daily is an important part of morning time for many homeschool families. It can be helpful to have a special calendar for this purpose.

I like this calendar because it is magnetic, which means that the pieces stick to the calendar and are harder to lose. It is also nice that this calendar is reusable month after month. This calendar also comes with extra magnets so kids can label holidays and activities on their calendars.

Use a calendar to teach:

• Days of the week
• Months of the year
• Counting

Are you looking for more educational toys for your homeschool? Check out this list of educational toys, all recommended by homeschool families!

Or, find more essential homeschool supplies here!