Unifix(R) 1-10 Stair

The vertical grooves keep the rods perfectly aligned, so my students can physically stack cubes from one to ten and see the value difference at a glance. It's sturdy enough for daily classroom use, and the printed numbers at the top make self-checking easy for them.

The vertical grooves make it so easy for my kindergartener to self-check his work, which saves me from hovering. He loves snapping the cubes in and out until each column matches the number printed above.

My first graders finally get the concept of tens and ones because they can physically snap cubes into the stair and see the numbers at the top. It's so sturdy that even the roughest kids haven't broken it.