Waystation Number 61 Tracing for a Bright First Step Past Sixty

Locate 61 on the 61–70 strip

Begin the spoken run at 61. Point to one cell per word until the finger reaches 61 at position 1. Ask whether the child found the box by reading its value, following the numbers in order, or remembering where the shade appeared.

Extend the strip at the left with a card marked 60 before reading 61. Move right from 61 to the printed 62. Use the waystation display to act out a change of one. Invite a child to check the neighboring labels while a partner moves a single item into or out of the counted group.

Draw the number 61 on a slip of paper. Ask a partner to place it directly above the corresponding box, then cover only that box. The listener names 61 after reading one or two uncovered cells from the same short run.

Try the waystation count at home

Make six ten cards and put one round counter on a coaster. Show 60 with the coaster empty before adding the single marker.

Have a family partner count the waystation display aloud. Let the child check the 60 already grouped, then account for the remaining 1 on a plain sheet. For a second check, turn one ten label over to show what its packet contains.

Make a small 61 label together and put it near the original display. An adult can turn away during the count and return to read the finished sign. Ask the child what information the reader needs to make sense of that sign.

Number 61 Tracing with a clear hand movement

While writing 61, leave the curve of 6 clear of the little slanted start of 1. Use the margin of a separate sheet for a large hand movement. Afterward, choose one of the smaller 61 pairs and keep the unused hand on the paper so the sheet stays steady.

Look at the finished 61 beside the next dotted copy. Pick one visible clue, such as the space after 6 or the height of 1. Ask the child which clue would make a second 61 easier to read. Let them try it once and point to the change.

There are five 61 models in each numeral row. A brief practice might use just one pair on the upper line. Fold a plain strip over the 61 rows below if seeing all the dots makes it difficult to find a starting place.

Work out what the reader needs for 61

Try one prompt from the 61 table. A learner who names sixty-one confidently may need more time only on the written 6 or 1.

Read the large 61 before using a pencil

Hold a waystation label beside the largest 61 on the page. Ask the learner to touch 6 and then 1, while a partner reads the whole amount aloud. Let a child who is still learning the number name echo sixty-one after you.

Turn the small 61 card over and ask where 61 can still be found. Have the learner start on the left of the big pair. An adult can slide a plain paper tab along the underside to mark the reading direction without covering either shape.

Six observations for the 61 lesson

Account for the waystation count

Break 61 into 60 and 1 and use the groups to explain each digit.

Control both movements in 61

Follow one 61 without rushing from the 6 into the 1.

Connect the written name to 61

Track SIXTY-ONE while saying it. Point back to the digit pair after reading.

Describe a change from 61

Use the two nearby values to check what happens after adding or removing one.

Check a rearranged waystation set

Recognize the same 61 when the countable pieces move to another position.

Choose a mark to revisit

Compare a new 61 with the model and describe one part to try again.

Share the 61 check with a partner

Use two roles, one to handle full packs and one to add or remove a loose piece. A third learner chooses between 60 and 61 on each turn.

Ask the group at the waystation station to mark the 60 and the 1 in separate areas. The child with the numeral card can point to each area while reading 61. A partner checks the group count before giving any hint about the handwriting.

Use this question during the role change. What would happen to the 61 card if the one loose marker were removed from the inventory? Give the checker time to show an answer with the objects. The recorder can point to 61, or write the result if the check changed the amount.

Choose a small goal for the next 61 visit

Offer the 61 sheet around ages 5–8 to children who are starting to read pairs of digits. The waystation game can be done by pointing and speaking when the pencil work feels long. A child who is ready to write can set the amount next to a blank label and copy just one pair.

Give each 61 visit a purpose the child can say aloud. Today it might be finding 61 near its neighbor. A later lesson can return to a difficult stroke or the final part of SIXTY-ONE. The unused lines are there for another visit.

Ask the child to choose a 61 they would keep on the waystation display. Let them tell what makes it readable, whether the spacing after 6 or the height of 1. Start the next session from the child's own observation.

Five games to try with the waystation count

• Make a waystation inventory card. Sketch the packets for 60 and add 1 dots. Let a new reader identify 61 from the sketch.
• Spot the covered value. Put a slip on the printed 61. Have a partner read the strip to that point, then uncover 61 to check.
• Deliver an extra piece. Add one to the waystation display and replace 61 with 62. Ask which digit changed this time.
• Pair a word and a figure. Place SIXTY-ONE near a hand-drawn picture of the waystation supplies. Give the learner a choice of numeral cards to match.
• Repack the waystation pieces. Give the group a different-looking arrangement of 61. Ask a second checker to describe how the new arrangement can be counted.

Other ways to prepare for the 61 lesson

Return to smaller figures with the 1–6 dice practice before 61. To plan a different turn for the waystation group, choose the pencil-control path worksheet or bring in the introductory 1–10 tracing set and talk about what a numeral reports in that activity.

The waystation setting can borrow a turn-taking idea from family play at NAEYC. A PBS KIDS for Parents activity may also give SIXTY-ONE a new use as a sign.

Open and print the 61 PDF

Use the free download to get the original 61 PDF. The member option for SIXTY-ONE provides a clean sheet without the website watermark or ads. Sign into an eligible plan to use it.

In the print dialog, use US Letter portrait for 61. Make a single test copy to see the pale SIXTY-ONE guides and the complete frame. Switch to standard quality if the dotted numeral is too faint.

The $8 collection includes 61 as page 61. Open it from the package card when you want to continue from the waystation activity to other numbered sheets through 100.