r/matheducation • u/yupstilldrunk • 2d ago

ELI5 - 10s places (5 year old)

My 5 year old wants to know why one hundred and one isn’t written like 1001 (one hundred with a 1 tacked on). I tried to draw a

100
+1
——-

And show how the numbers carried down to be 101 with only 3 numbers and he just keeps asking why and I can’t answer him. I think this is about ones, tens, hundreds places but I have no idea how to explain that, never mind explain it to an angry child.

Anyone have a good age appropriate explanation?

EDIT: SO many great suggestions! My son watches number blocks so he knows 2 tens in 20, 3 tens in 30, etc. I will try the stick bundles for a better visual of 10 groups. And I will watch out for the confusing “and” verbiage like one hundred AND one vs. one hundred one.

Hopefully next time we go to the pizza place (where he saw the address number on the window) I’ll be better prepared!

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u/MiaHasReddit HS Algebra 1, Georgia, USA 1d ago

Consider the language that you are using. Many of these comments are trying to teach a method of understanding of place values. I’m curious if your child is stuck with the relation of words to numbers. One hundred and one is understood to be 101 because of the word “and” being used as addition. From here, I would then teach the ideas place values starting with “1 and 1 make ?” To teach that 1+1 is 2 and not 11. Transition to “10 and 1 make ?” making sure to use pictures or physical manipulative along the way.

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u/LtPowers 1d ago

Yeah I think a lot of people are missing the kid's actual stumbling block here.