Rekenreks are extremely helpful tools for developing number sense. Though their design looks simple, a rekenrek is a powerful tool that can be used to help students visually recognize numbers and solve addition or subtraction problems. The Rekenrek consists of rows of 10 beads, five red and five white. Most have 2 rows, but you’ll also find options that have three or more rows of beads.

You can make or purchase rekenreks, but you can also find great online versions on this website. Depending on the age of students and their needs, you can choose from rekenreks with anywhere from one to ten rows of beads.

Possible Ways to Use a Rekenrek

Counting:

For younger students, using a rekenrek can be used to help develop counting skills. They can push all the beads to the ‘resting’ position on the right of the board then pull beads to the left of the number rack as they count.

Instant Number Recognition:

Rekenreks are great tools for helping students develop instant number recognition. Each row contains five white beads and five red beads, so students are able to instantly identify the number 5 after some time experimenting with the rekenrek. Teachers can build on this by having students work on identifying other quantities and explaining how they are able to know how many are shown. For example, a student may describe that they knew the number was 7, because there were the 5 red beads and two more white beads.

Showing Numbers:

You can use a rekenrek to have students make numbers. You can hold up a card with a number and have them move the beads to show the number you identified. Depending on the level of your students, you could set the expectation that they should only use one ‘push’ to show quantities less than 10, and two pushes for larger numbers between 10 and 20. This will make sure they are visualizing the numbers rather than simply counting the beads.

Break numbers apart and put them back together:

Students can also use a rekenrek to show different ways to break numbers apart and put them back together. For instance, you could ask students to come up with all the ways they can make the number 8. They can show 8 beads on the rekenrek and slide them apart to create and record different equations with a sum of 8, such as 7 + 1 and 5 + 3.

Making 5:

Using the number 5 as a benchmark is very important for mathematical thinking and the rekenrek can help with developing this skill. Students can identify the missing part of a 5 using their rekenrek. If you give them the algorithm 2 + ____ = 5, they can build the number 5 with the rekenrek to determine the missing piece.

Making 10:

10 is another very important benchmark number. Being able to make a 10 is essential in a variety of math tasks. Similar to making 5, students can use the rekenrek to build a 10. They can solve for the missing part of an algorithm such as ___ + 4 = 10. Using the rekenrek can help them visualize the missing piece of the 10.

Modeling Addition and Subtraction Problems:

Rekenreks can also be used as a concrete tool for students to model an addition or subtraction problem. Display and read a problem such as, “There were 6 flowers in the garden. I planted 3 more flowers. How many flowers are there in the garden now?” Students can then model the problem on their rekenrek by moving the beads to show the original 6 flowers and the 3 new flowers. They will then be able to determine the sum.

Adding Doubles:

Knowing your doubles facts is another important skill for students to master. Using a rekenrek can help them work towards this accomplishment. A two-row rekenrek would be perfect for this task. Students can use both rows to model a doubles fact, such as 7 + 7 by putting 7 beads on the top row and 7 beads on the bottom row. They could then count by twos to determine the sum.

Hopefully reading through our suggested rekenrek activities has provided you with some inspiration to try this powerful tool with your students. Think about where your students are and what their specific needs are to help you identify the activity you’d like to try first.