Free Christmas Composing Teen Numbers Game for Kindergarten

Fill your lesson plans in December with fun, standards-based learning opportunities.

Here is a free download to practice composing teen numbers (11-19) using groups of tens and ones.

It's my hope that you can integrate this free printable Christmas I Have, Who Has card game into your small group teaching in December.

Teaching students to compose and decompose larger numbers has an awesome impact on their math abilities - it truly is amazing!

Just like my fun Christmas race game where students build numbers 11-19 using groups of tens and ones, this game uses a ten-frame cookie sheet and single cookies to illustrate tens and ones in a new way. 

The standard this activity practices:

Compose and decompose numbers from 11 to 19 into ten ones and some further ones, e.g., by using objects or drawings, and record each composition or decomposition by a drawing or equation (such as 18 = 10 + 8); understand that these numbers are composed of ten ones and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine ones.

That makes it perfect to play in a small group and ideal for a teacher zone warm-up or wrap-up activity.

How to play

Want to know how to play?

1. Deal out all of the cards.
2. The first player picks a card (if they have multiple) and reads it aloud.
3. The kinder who has the matching answer card reads their card aloud.
4. Play continues until all cards have been used or read aloud.

This composing teen numbers card game focuses on numbers 11-19 since this helps lay a foundation for understanding composing and decomposing - but you'll find that I've added the numbers 9, 10 and 20 to better fit a larger number of players.

What's included

There are 24 cards included in the printable and an instructions page explaining how to play.

There are 2 different game sets - each with 12 cards.

The first set has red cards.

Students describe the number using words like "who has one group of ten and x ones?" and the student who has the matching numeral on their card goes next.

The second set has green cards and they have the opposite.

The first student asks, "Who has #?" and the student with the matching card describes the number using the tens and ones statement.

If your small group needs additional support, you can have each student make the number with manipulatives before the matching card is named or you can make it as a group and use the model to help students identify the number on their card.

Get the download

Here is the free download so you can play this game in your classroom too.

[terms of use] [downloading help]

Let's wrap it up

Remember to teach why the teen numbers look the way they do in order to give them an additional strategy and be successful at composing and decomposing numbers.

If you want more composing and decomposing materials for Christmas, you may also love this board game version that is perfect for math centers.

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More Christmas

• Composing Tens and Ones Christmas Race Game
• What the Teacher Really Wants for Christmas
• Free Grinchy Subtraction Bump Game
• The Real 12 Days of Christmas – Holiday Kindergarten Activity
• Easy Christmas Gift Wrap for Kindergartners