What kinds of classroom activities can you think of for helping children to make groups of 5 and 10?

Once they have enough practice with such activities, children can be helped to record what they are doing in mathematical terms. For example, they could write four groups of two apples each as 4 x 2 = 8. This could be represented pictorially as well.

Now the children will be in a position to enjoy discovering patterns in multiplication tables. You could ask them to fill up a 10 x 10 grid, like the one below. To fill in each square the child will have to put the product of the number of the row it is in and the number of the column it is in.

This kind of an activity could be done over a period of time. Children could be given as much time as they need or as much time as they retain interest in the activity. Let them talk to each other and discover patterns for themselves.