Tens and Ones Worksheets

Tens and ones are the two places of every two-digit number: 47 is 4 tens and 7 ones. The seven PDFs on this page have base-ten blocks, expanded form, the value of a digit and number names to 100, and every sheet has an answer key. They follow standard 1.NBT.B.2 of the Common Core standards for grade 1 number and operations in base ten, and the notes below show how to teach the tens and ones, with tables of the teen numbers, the tens words and the ways to build a number.

Quick answer: Tens and ones are the two places of a two-digit number: 47 is 4 tens and 7 ones, or 40 + 7. This page has 7 free printable tens and ones worksheets with answer keys for grade 1: base-ten blocks, expanded form, the value of a digit and number names to 100. Updated October 2026.

About tens and ones

A two-digit number is a group of tens and some ones. 47 is 4 tens and 7 ones, or 40 + 7. Grade 1 children learn to see numbers this way (Common Core 1.NBT.B.2), which is the first step towards adding and subtracting with regrouping.

• Base-ten blocks: count the rods (tens) and cubes (ones), then write the number.
• Expanded form: 63 = 60 + 3, and back again.
• Value of a digit: in 58, the 5 is worth 50.
• Number names: write the number for “sixty-four”.

Tens and ones worksheets: what is in the set

There are 7 tens and ones worksheets on this page, and every one has an answer key except for any cut-out games. Two sheets use base-ten blocks, two use expanded form, one is about the value of a digit, and two are about number names.

Tens and ones worksheets: what the two places mean

The tens and ones worksheets teach that a two-digit number is a group of tens and some ones. The left digit tells how many tens there are, and the right digit tells how many ones. Wikipedia’s article on positional notation explains that this idea, in which a digit’s value depends on its place, is what makes our number system so useful. This table shows how the numbers from 11 to 19 are built from a ten and some ones, and how their names are made:

The names from 11 to 19 are the hardest to read, since the sound of the ones comes before the sound of the ten. A good way to help is to build each number from a rod and cubes, and to say “1 ten and 3 ones is thirteen”. This table shows the numbers 20 to 90 and their names:

Each of these has no ones, so the ones digit is a zero. The numbers between, such as 47, are named by the tens word and the ones word, as in forty-seven.

Base ten blocks tens and ones: building a number

Base ten blocks tens and ones are the first model of place value. A rod is one ten, and a cube is one one. Children build a number, count the rods, count the cubes, and write both. The base ten blocks tool lets them build a number on the screen. This table shows six numbers, with the pieces for each, and the number of pieces that cubes alone would need:

Using rods saves many pieces. For 99 there are 9 rods and 9 cubes, which is 18 pieces, and 81 fewer than 99 cubes. That is the reason why we group in tens: it makes big numbers easy to see and to count.

Place value worksheets grade 1: tens and ones in many ways

For place value worksheets grade 1, the standard 1.NBT.B.2 asks children to understand that the two digits of a two-digit number stand for tens and ones. It also asks them to see 10 as a bundle of ten ones, and the numbers 10 to 90 as tens with no ones. A good activity is to build a number in different ways. This table shows the ways to build 47 with rods and cubes:

The first row, 4 tens and 7 ones, is the normal way, and the other rows are regrouped ways. The same number can be shown with fewer tens and more ones, which is the idea behind regrouping in addition and subtraction. The 2-digit subtraction with regrouping page uses this idea.

2 digit place value: patterns in the numbers 10 to 99

When children study 2 digit place value, they can look for patterns in the 90 numbers from 10 to 99. This table counts some of them:

In 45 of the 90 numbers the tens digit is bigger than the ones digit, and in 36 it is smaller. Only 9 numbers have two digits the same. These counts help to show that the order of the digits matters: 47 and 74 are different numbers, and so are 12 and 21.

Expanded form 2 digit: writing a number as tens plus ones

For expanded form 2 digit numbers, children write each digit with its value: 63 = 60 + 3. The first number is the tens, written as a multiple of ten, and the second is the ones. This table shows six numbers in expanded form, with their names:

A number such as 40 has no ones, so it is written 40 + 0, or simply 40. The sheet with expanded form also asks children to go the other way and to write the number that 60 + 3 makes. Say each number name aloud for the best learning, as the Common Core standards for grade 1 number and operations in base ten suggest.

Ten more, ten less: patterns of tens

When children know the tens, they can add or subtract ten in their heads. Ten more than 47 is 57, because the tens digit goes up by one and the ones digit stays the same. Standard 1.NBT.C.5 asks for this. This table shows six numbers with one more, one less, ten more and ten less:

The ones digit does not change when ten is added or taken away, and only the tens digit changes. The hundreds charts page shows this as columns on a chart, since each column has the same ones digit, and the skip counting worksheets page practices counting by tens.

Comparing numbers by their tens and ones

The tens and ones are also the way to compare two-digit numbers. Compare the tens first. If they are different, the number with more tens is bigger. If they are the same, compare the ones. This table shows six pairs:

The comparing 2 and 3 digit numbers page has more practice, and the comparing numbers worksheets pages have the whole sequence.

Common mistakes with tens and ones

The most common mistake is to mix up the two places. This table shows five mistakes, what went wrong and the fix:

Tens and ones word problems

Tens and ones come up with boxes, bundles and packs. Ask children to say the number as tens and ones before they write it:

Games and activities for tens and ones

Children learn tens and ones best when they play with it. These games use things that are found at home or in a classroom:

• Straw bundles: bundle 10 straws with rubber bands, and make 34 from 3 bundles and 4 straws
• Rods and cubes: draw a number card, and build it with rods and cubes
• Place value bingo: a bingo card with numbers, and calling cards that say tens and ones
• Roll and build: roll two dice for the tens and the ones, and write the number
• Ten more, ten less: say a number, and have a partner say ten more or ten less
• Number detective: give clues: “my tens digit is 5 and my ones digit is 2 more”

Extra support and extra challenge with tens and ones

For children who need more support: use real straws, craft sticks or base-ten blocks, and make the number with the child. Always say “tens and ones”: for 47, say “4 tens and 7 ones”. Start with the numbers 11 to 19 and the tens 20, 30 and so on. Use the answer key to check, and let the child fix any block count.

For children who need more challenge: ask for the biggest number with 5 tens, for all the numbers whose digits add up to 10, and for the number that is 3 tens and 14 ones. Sorting a set of numbers by the number of tens, and then by the ones, is a good challenge.

How to tell that a child is ready to move on from tens and ones

Before moving on from tens and ones, check that the child can do all four of these things:

1. The child counts rods and cubes and writes the number.
2. The child writes a number in expanded form.
3. The child says the value of a digit, such as 50 for the 5 in 58.
4. The child writes the number for a number name, and the name for a number.

When all four are true, move on to the hundreds tens and ones page, or to the 2-digit subtraction with regrouping page.

A 20-minute lesson on tens and ones

A short lesson is the best way to introduce tens and ones. This 20-minute plan can be used in a classroom, at a tutoring session or at home, and it uses the worksheets at the end:

Where tens and ones fits across the grades

No skill stands alone. This table shows what children learn before and after tens and ones, with the standard that goes with each step:

This page is the start of the place value sequence. The whole sequence is on the place value worksheets page.

Helping at home with tens and ones

Parents do not need to be experts to help with tens and ones. These suggestions work well, and each takes only a few minutes:

• Bundle straws or craft sticks into tens at home.
• Ask “how many tens and ones?” when you see a number on a sign.
• Count by tens with the child on a hundreds chart.
• Use coins: dimes are tens and pennies are ones.
• Check the answers with the answer key, and ask the child to explain one.

How to check progress in tens and ones

A teacher or parent can check progress in tens and ones with the answer key and a few questions. This table shows three common situations, what they mean and what to do next:

A five-day plan for tens and ones

Most children need about a week of short sessions for tens and ones. This plan follows the order of the worksheets on this page:

When the plan for tens and ones is complete, move on to the hundreds tens and ones page. The whole sequence is on the place value worksheets page.

Tens and ones worksheet PDFs, sheets and printables

People search for this page as a tens and ones worksheet, a tens ones worksheet, a tens and ones sheet, tens and ones printables or tens and ones worksheets pdf. All are the same: seven free PDFs in this set, each with an answer key on the last page. Choose a sheet, pick US Letter or A4 and print or save it. No account is needed. Start with the base-ten blocks sheet if your child is new to the idea, and use the expanded form sheet once they can say how many tens and ones are in a number.

Adding tens and ones worksheets

Adding tens and ones worksheets, also called adding with tens and ones, are the next step after naming the places. A first grader adds a two-digit number and a multiple of ten by adding the tens, and the standard asks children to do this within 100 (1.NBT.C.4). Tens and ones addition works because the places are separate: the tens never change the ones. Here are six examples with no regrouping:

Once children are comfortable, they can try problems where the ones add up to 10 or more, which is where regrouping starts in grade 2. Our addition worksheets have sets for both stages, and a tens and ones addition page is a good warm-up for them.

Tens and ones manipulatives and interactive tools

Tens and ones manipulatives let children build a number before they write it. You can use bundles of ten sticks and loose ones, linking cubes in towers of ten, or printed base-ten blocks. Our base ten blocks tool is a free tens and ones interactive: click to add a rod (ten) or a cube (one) and see the number change. Use it after the worksheet to check answers, and practice counting by ones and tens on a hundreds chart (see the hundreds chart page for a counting by ones and tens worksheet and interactive chart).