Joyful Learning of Numbers at Thamarai After-School

-Soundhariya and Premkumar

In Thamarai after-school, we supported children in learning basic operations like bundling, unbundling, and multiplication. To make learning more visual and engaging, we used Dienes blocks, Ganit racks, and different colours to differentiate ones, tens, and hundreds.

Exploring with Dienes Blocks
Children were very curious when they first saw the Dienes blocks. They explored how the blocks help make math more visual and understandable, rather than just solving sums on paper. These blocks are useful for learning place value like ones, tens, hundreds and thousands.

To demonstrate, I wrote the number 162 on the board and asked the students to identify the place value of each digit. They started to say the places — 2 is ones, 6 is tens, and 1 is hundreds. Then, I showed them using Dienes blocks: 2 ones, 6 tens, and 1 hundred. This activity helped them clearly see the structure of numbers and easily understand the concept of place value.

Learning with the Ganit Rack

The Ganit rack helped children learn to Bundling and Unbundling mentally up to 20 by observing the movement and grouping of beads. They practiced doubles (like 6 + 6) and near doubles (like 6 + 7), which improved their mental math skills. By moving the beads and observing patterns, they developed a deeper understanding of number relationships.

Using Colours to Learn Numbers

We also used different sketch colours to make learning even more enjoyable. Children chose their favourite colours and started to write. For example, one child wrote all the ones in red, the tens in blue, and the hundreds in pink. This colourful method helped them visualize numbers better and stay engaged. They enjoyed using different colours, which brought joy and creativity into their math learning.

I taught multiplication using Dienes blocks. First, we started with small numbers (1 digit) like 2 × 3. The children used the blocks to make groups and count the total. Then we moved to bigger numbers (2 digit). I showed them how to complete an area using Dienes blocks for two-digit multiplication. For example, they used hundreds, tens and ones block to make rectangles and find the total area.

Conclusion

Overall, the session helped children connect with math in a hands-on and joyful way. They could see, touch, and understand numbers instead of just memorizing them, which made learning both effective and enjoyable. Finally, they sat together as a group and shared what they had learned with each other. This helped them feel more confident in their learning.

To express their gratitude, the students gave each of us thoughtful gifts. They had made beautiful handcrafted sand pots and thread bracelets. Each gift carried their love and effort, making us feel deeply touched and valued.

Learning Outcomes

• Children understand the concept of bundling and unbundling using Ganit rack.
• They learned the place value like ones, tens and hundreds.
• They used Dines blocks to compare the area and solve two-digit multiplication.

Reflection

My name is Premkumar. I stand for self-confidence and equality for myself and others. In the Thamarai afterschool, I supported children to learn basic math operations addition, subtraction, and multiplication using hands-on materials. I noticed that when children used materials like Dines block, and Ganit racks, they were more engaged and curious to explore patterns by themselves. The materials helped them clearly see how numbers work and build understanding step by step. Through these activities, I observed that children developed confidence in solving problems and were able to explain their thinking using the materials. This practical learning made math more joyful and meaningful for them rather than just memorizing numbers.

My name is Soundhariya. I stand for courage for myself and others. When I work with children, I notice how important it is to understand where they face difficulties in problem-solving. Some children get stuck and don’t know what to do after a few steps. I realized that by sitting with them and observing how they think, I can guide them in a better way. I used different methods to help them, such as using Dienes blocks, the Ganit rack, and different colours. When I explained in simple ways and gave examples, they began to understand better and felt more confident in their learning.