Basic Manipulative Materials by Grade

The commercially available manipulative materials listed below are basic to a developmentally based mathematics program. The quantities listed are for a classroom of 20 students (for other class sizes, adjust the quantities accordingly). These quantities give the teacher and students ready access to materials for whole class activities as well as allow for the establishment of a series of learning stations so that students may use the materials as they proceed at their own pace.

Kindergarten

The following list is recommended by the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, Supporting Leaders in Mathematics Education: A Source Book of Essential Information, 1994.

  • Pattern Blocks (5 tubs)
  • Unifix Cubes (1000 cubes)
  • Primer Balance (1)
  • Color Cubes (2 sets)
  • Additional materials such as Legos, Lincoln Logs, and other building materials, plus beansticks and set boards

Grade 1

The following list is recommended by the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, Supporting Leaders in Mathematics Education: A Source Book of Essential Information, 1994.

  • Pattern Blocks (5 tubs)
  • Unifix Cubes (1000 cubes)
  • Tangrams (bag of 20 sets)
  • Geoboards (20)
  • Primer Balance (1)
  • Color Cubes (2 sets)
  • Attribute Blocks by ESS (6–8 sets)
  • Additional building materials, beansticks and set boards

Grade 2

The following list is recommended by the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, Supporting Leaders in Mathematics Education: A Source Book of Essential Information, 1994.

  • Pattern Blocks (5 tubs)
  • Multilinks (1000 cubes)
  • Tangrams (bag of 20 sets)
  • Geoboards (20)
  • Primer Balance (1)
  • Color Tiles (3 sets)
  • Attribute Blocks by ESS (20 sets)
  • Powers of Ten or Base Ten Blocks (1 classroom set with lines)

Grade 3

The following list is recommended by the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, Supporting Leaders in Mathematics Education: A Source Book of Essential Information, 1994.

  • Pattern Blocks (5 tubs)
  • Unifix Cubes (1000 cubes)
  • Tangrams (bag of 20 sets)
  • Geoboards (20)
  • Primer Balance (1)
  • Color Tiles (2 sets)
  • Attribute Blocks by ESS (20 sets)
  • Powers of Ten or Base Ten Blocks (2 classroom set with lines)

At the intermediate grades it would be ideal to have all the manipulative materials available in each classroom. If this is not possible, an adequate set, as listed below, could be shared by each grade level. At these grade levels, it would also be beneficial to have a classroom program of Fraction Bars or the Fraction Factory as well as a classroom program of Decimal Squares.

Grade 4

The following list is recommended by the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, Supporting Leaders in Mathematics Education: A Source Book of Essential Information, 1994.

  • Pattern Blocks (5 tubs)
  • Tangrams (25 sets)
  • Geoboards (25)
  • Color Tiles (3 sets)
  • Attribute Logic Blocks (1 set for every 2 students)
  • Base Ten Blocks (2 intermediate classroom sets)
  • Cuisenaire Rods (12 trays of 74 rods)
  • Primary Balance Metric Weight Set for the Primer Balance
  • Metric Beaker Set for Volume

Grades 5 and 6

The following list is recommended by the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, Supporting Leaders in Mathematics Education: A Source Book of Essential Information, 1994.

  • Pattern Blocks (5 tubs)
  • Tangrams (25 sets)
  • Geoboards (25)
  • Color Tiles (3 sets)
  • Pentominoes (25 sets)
  • Attribute Logic Blocks (1 set for every 2 students)
  • Base Ten Blocks (2 intermediate classroom sets)
  • Cuisenaire Rods (12 trays of 74 rods)
  • Primary Balance Metric Weight Set for the Primer Balance
  • Metric Beaker Set for Volume
  • Calculators (classroom set)

Grades 7 and 8

The following list is recommended by the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, Supporting Leaders in Mathematics Education: A Source Book of Essential Information, 1994.

  • Cuisenaire Rods (12 trays of 74 rods)
  • Geoboards (25)
  • Color Tiles (3 sets)
  • Tangrams (25 sets)
  • Calculators (classroom set)