What is the best strategy for teaching a 4th grader who struggles with place value concepts?

Using counters and a chart is an effective strategy for teaching a 4th grader who struggles with place value concepts because it engages both visual and tactile learning styles. This hands-on approach allows students to physically manipulate objects, making abstract concepts like tens and hundreds more concrete. For instance, using counters can help illustrate how ten ones make a ten, and how ten tens make a hundred. By arranging these counters on a place value chart, students can visualize and organize numbers, reinforcing their understanding of how digits relate to their position in a number.

Additionally, this strategy encourages active participation and exploration, giving students the opportunity to see patterns and relationships within numbers. It can be particularly beneficial for students who may have difficulty with purely abstract methods, such as rote memorization or paper and pencil activities, which may not provide the same level of understanding or engagement. Overall, the use of interactive tools supports deeper comprehension of place value, paving the way for further mathematical concepts.