How to Teach Spanish Numbers With a Free Yo Tengo Game (K-5)

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If you want to know how to teach Spanish numbers with a game where students listen for a number word and read the next card, this is the one I use with K-5 and Spanish 1 classes, and it is free.

The 28 game cards and my directions are in one printable file. Print it, cut the cards apart, and play it with your class tomorrow.

The Spanish numbers game: what Yo Tengo, ¿Quién Tiene? is

Yo tengo means 'I have' and ¿Quién tiene? means 'Who has?' Every card in the game has two parts. The top says what the student has: Yo tengo and a big numeral. The bottom asks who has the next number, written out in Spanish words.

One student reads a card, the student who holds the number it asks for reads next, and the chain goes around the room until it comes back to where it started. Each student says the Spanish word for the numeral on their own card and listens for the number word that matches it.

The 28 cards cover the numbers 1 to 20, then the tens from 30 to 100. They do not include the numbers in between, like 21 or 45.

Get the game cards and directions (free, no email)

The numbers on the cards

• 1 to 10: uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez
• 11 to 20: once, doce, trece, catorce, quince, dieciséis, diecisiete, dieciocho, diecinueve, veinte
• 30 to 100, by tens: treinta, cuarenta, cincuenta, sesenta, setenta, ochenta, noventa, cien

Before you teach

Print the cards (seven pages, four cards to a page), cut them apart, and laminate them so they last.

• Plan to use all 28 cards. The game is one circle, so a missing card breaks the chain.
• Find the card marked FIRST (it says 1 and asks who has 2) and the card marked LAST (it says 100 and asks who has 1).
• Optional: set up a projector and a stopwatch for the timed round at the end.

Pass out all the cards

Give a card to each student. If you have more cards than students, let kids raise a hand if they would like to hold more than one.

As you hand them out, tell students to start thinking about what the question on their card might be, so they are ready to answer when their turn comes.

Start with the FIRST card and read around the circle

The student whose card says FIRST begins. A statement is read first, then a question.

1. The student with the FIRST card reads it aloud: Yo tengo uno. ¿Quién tiene dos?
2. Everyone looks at their cards. The student who has the answer to the question reads their card next.
3. The chain goes around the group until the student who started reads again.

The last card closes the circle

The card for 100 is marked LAST and asks ¿Quién tiene uno?, which sends the chain back to the card for 1. The questions go around in a circle, so the game ends where it began. The last card is labeled in case there are any issues along the way.

Time the class and beat your best time

Once your class is comfortable with the game, add a stopwatch. I project the timer on the board and write the final time on the board, so students try to beat their best time the next time they play. Kids get excited about this, and competitive.

Where the game gets stuck

• Students calling out answers that belong to someone else's card. Add 5 seconds to the class time every time you hear an answer from a student who does not hold the card.
• Students who groan or complain when another student is slow. The same 5 second penalty works for that.

Here are the free files for this lesson

Click the file. It opens on the downloads page. No email needed.

• Yo Tengo Game Cards and How to Play (PDF)

Open the downloads page

This lesson is from our Numbers unit

• Spanish Numbers 0-10 Boom Cards: Digital Task Cards
• Spanish Numbers 0-20 Boom Cards: Mystery Picture
• Spanish Numbers 0-20 Flashcards: Snowman Counting
• Spanish Numbers 0-20 Task Cards: Snowman Counting
• Spanish I Have, Who Has? Numbers 0-20 Game: Snowman Counting
• Spanish Numbers 1-100 Yo Tengo, ¿Quién Tiene? Printable Game
• Spanish Numbers 1-100 Yo Tengo, ¿Quién Tiene? Distance Learning Game
• Spanish Number Cards for Count on Culebra: Bulletin Board
• Spanish Number Charts 1-31

See everything in the membership

Questions teachers ask about Spanish numbers

What is Yo Tengo, ¿Quién Tiene?

It is a class game where each student holds a card. A card says what the student has (Yo tengo) and asks who has the next number (¿Quién tiene?). The student who holds that number reads next, and the questions go around in a circle until they come back to the first card.

How do you play Yo Tengo, ¿Quién Tiene? in Spanish class?

Print, cut and laminate the cards, then hand them all out. The student with the FIRST card reads the statement and then the question, and the student with the answer reads next. When the class knows the game, time it with a projected stopwatch and ask students to beat their best time.

How do you teach Spanish numbers?

This game is one way to practice them: each student says the Spanish word for the numeral on their card and listens for the number word that matches it. The cards cover 1 to 20 and then the tens up to 100, so pair it with another activity for the numbers in between.

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