Working with students to compose teen numbers can be tricky.  I love getting my students engaged in learning through Legos.  What kid can resist working with Legos?  Uh, none!  So I came up with this lesson to practice composing teen numbers.  I use this activity in small group or it could be used as a math center.  If you have enough Legos you could even teach it whole group.

I used 2 x 4 bricks, but any size would work.  I pulled two colors so we could use one color for the tens and one color for the ones.  For the activity the student flips over 1 of the included teen number Lego cards. The student makes the number shown with their Legos.  When a student has 10 ones (loose Lego bricks) they connect them into a ten.  I had my students put a mini fig on top of the ten they built.  They were really motivated to make a ten so they could put their mini fig on it.  Ha!

Once they built their ten the students lined the ones up separately next to it.  I used post it notes to label the tens and ones.  The students then   wrote the number they made on the worksheet.    I had students use markers to write their   numbers.  They used the same 2 colors they   were using for the Lego bricks.  This student   used a red marker to write the number in the   tens spot and a yellow marker to write the   number in the ones spot. 

If you are interested in trying this activity you can get it in my TpT shop for FREE!!  Just click right {here}