Addition Snake Game: Individual Beads Nylon (Nienhuis)
Made by Nienhuis Montessori · shipped by Heutink International (Netherlands) About the maker
The snake game for addition, introducing the combinations that make ten. A child lays a snake of coloured bead bars, then works along it swapping groups that total ten for a golden ten bar, and the black and white stair covers whatever is left over. By the end the multicoloured snake has become a golden one, and the child has added a long string of numbers without writing anything. Three boxes of stairs and golden bars in a tray. Nylon beads with wood, for ages 3 to 6.
“Education is a natural process spontaneously carried out by the human individual, and is acquired not by listening to words but by experiences upon the environment.”
The Addition Snake Game transforms abstract number combinations into tangible experiences through color-coded nylon beads that children can manipulate and count.
- Master addition combinations that equal ten through repeated bead exchanges
- Develop automatic recall of number facts through sensorial repetition
- Strengthen one-to-one correspondence by counting individual beads
- Build foundation for mental arithmetic through physical manipulation
Read More
Each colored bead bar in the Addition Snake Game represents quantities from one through nine, allowing children to physically construct addition problems by linking bars together in serpentine formations. When children exchange their colored snake for golden ten bars and remaining units, the Addition Snake Game reveals how any combination of numbers can be reorganized into tens and units. This mathematical material addresses the developmental need for concrete manipulation before abstraction, as the nylon beads provide weight and texture that make counting operations sensorial. The Addition Snake Game's progression from building colorful snakes to creating uniform golden tens demonstrates visually how addition creates predictable patterns, preparing the mathematical mind for mental calculation.
How to present it
Follow the Montessori method of presentation for optimal child development.
Place colored bead bars 1-9 in one box, golden ten bars in another, and black-and-white bead bars for counting in a third container on a felt mat
- 1
Invite the child to select any colored bead bars to create a snake across the mat
Let them choose freely - the random selection creates natural addition problems - 2
Begin counting from the snake's head, touching each bead while counting aloud
Use consistent finger placement to model precise counting - 3
When reaching ten, place a golden ten bar parallel to the counted beads
Align the ten bar exactly with the tenth bead to show equivalence - 4
Continue counting from where you left off using black-and-white bars
These verification bars help track counting position in the snake - 5
Replace the entire colored snake with golden tens and remaining unit bars
Arrange the golden result below the original snake for comparison
Every Child Is a Little Creator
Heritage
Since 1929
In classrooms
Around the world
European brands
Nienhuis, GAM, Educo
AMI approved
To the association standard
Addition Snake Game: Individual Beads Nylon (Nienhuis)
