Helping your child develop number sense might seem like an intimidating task, but as you’ll soon discover, they may already be comfortable with some of these mathematical concepts.
For example, if your child has ever asked for more candy or a bigger slice of pizza, they are already starting to observe the world around them and compare objects by looking at their size, shape, quantity, and so much more.
All of these are crucial mathematical skills and a part of the learning process.
In this article, we’ll share 9 effective activities you can try at home to help your child develop number sense. But first, let’s talk about what number sense actually is.
Table Of Contents
- What Is Number Sense?
- Elements of Number Sense
- Number Sense Skills by Age
- Why Is It Important?
- 9 Activities to Build Number Sense
What Is Number Sense?
“Number sense” is an umbrella term that refers to a set of skills that helps us work with numbers. Developing this ability allows us to perform math equations and many other everyday tasks as well.
For example, every time you shop for the best price of an item, you compare different offers from various stores. You might also consider how far you have to travel to those stores and estimate how much gas it would take (or the delivery costs if you’re ordering online).
All of this comparing one option to another is how we use number sense daily.
Elements of Number Sense
With a strong number sense, a child will exhibit several different mathematical skills. Let’s take a look.
Understanding Relationships Between Numbers
A strong number sense means your child understands how numbers work — everything from pattern recognition to place value and fact families (groups of calculations made using the same three numbers).
Comprehending Quantity
Understanding the concept of quantity and being able to approximate or compare quantities is another essential element of number sense.
Counting and Sequencing
Of course, counting and translating numerals to a number of objects are both additional skills that demonstrate number sense. A child should also be able to grasp number sequences like even numbers, odd numbers, or counting by fives.
Computing
A child exhibiting strong number sense can perform basic operations like addition and subtraction, including basic mental calculations.
Estimating
Looking at a grouping of items or a problem and being able to estimate the answer is yet another essential skill that indicates number sense.
Exhibiting Spacial Awareness
Number sense also includes being able to identify patterns in shapes and numbers.
Making Connections
An ability to relate numbers to everyday concepts like time, measurement, and money is another important component of number sense.
So what does this all mean practically speaking? Here are some concrete examples of things your child will be able to do as they gain number sense:
- Think flexibly about numbers. For example, once they know that 3+3 is 6, they can conclude that 3+4 must be one more.
- Understand the order of numbers (e.g., 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.).
- Grasp number symbols and what they mean (e.g., four is the same as 4).
- Understand the concepts of more, less, smaller, and greater than.
- Recognize wholes and parts.
- Develop their own strategies for solving problems relating to numbers. For example, they understand that you can take numbers apart and also put them together in different ways — 1+9, 2+8, 3+7, 4+6, 5+5, 3+3+3+1 are all different ways to make up ten.
- Estimate. For example, “It took me three giant steps to get to the chair, so it will probably take eight baby steps.”
- Understand relative numbers in real-life scenarios, such as which is later, 1:00 pm versus 3:00 pm; or which is more, $5.00 or $20.00.
Number Sense Skills by Age
A child’s number sense develops over time, based on a lot of practice as well as everyday experiences. Here’s how your child’s introduction to math concepts will likely unfold.
Preschool
Generally, a child will be introduced to numbers in preschool and will begin recognizing and writing them. They’ll also start to count to 10. Other skills developed in preschool include:
- Matching objects to numbers when counting aloud
- Being able to recognize small numbers of things by sight — like three apples on the table or two slices of pizza on the plate
- Understanding ordinal numbers like first, second, and third
Early Elementary School
By early elementary school, children will start working with larger numbers and recognizing simple number patterns. They’ll also begin sequencing numbers, skip counting, and performing addition and subtraction problems.
Elementary School
Later on in elementary school, children learn place value, mental math, fractions, decimals, and multiplication and division. They’ll also begin not only recognizing patterns but explaining the logic behind them.
Why Is Number Sense Important?
In a nutshell, developing number sense helps children understand numbers concretely — not based on number recognition or memorizing words, but really understanding numbers intuitively.
When a child has this skill, it means that they have begun to internalize the number system. For example, they can easily conclude that if 7+3 is 10, then 7+7 cannot possibly be less than 10.
Developing number sense helps children learn to apply math principles, and they build on this foundation when working with more complex math concepts in the future.
But what happens when a child doesn’t have this ability? A child with poor number sense is likely to struggle with everyday tasks, like judging time and measuring. They may also have difficulty with addition and multiplication.
If your young learner is struggling to grasp these concepts, don’t immediately worry. Number sense is a group of skills, which means that it can be learned or improved upon with time, practice, and determination.
To help you work with your child and build their concrete understanding of numbers, here are 10 of our favorite math games to play at home.
9 Activities To Build Number Sense At Home
1) Create A Guessing Station
What You’ll Need:
- Mason jar (or any available clear container)
- Lots of small items (e.g., beans, legos, tongue depressors, etc.)
What To Do:
To create your guessing station, start by filling a mason jar with small items. Then, place the jar in a central location in the house that everyone can access (i.e., the kitchen countertop).
The rules of the game are simple:
- Family members have one week (or a few days) to guess how many items are in the jar.
- No one is allowed to open, move, or even touch the container.
- The person who guesses closest to the actual number of items wins! (You can also decide if the winner gets a fun surprise.)
This is a great way to help your child make estimations and predictions based on their observations.
If you see them struggling, you can help your young learner develop different strategies to arrive at their conclusion. For example, help them count items on one side of the jar and consider the volume of the container to reach a conclusion.
Quick Tip: Don’t forget to write down how many items you put in the jar somewhere!
2) Practice Number Of The Week
What You’ll Need:
- Chart
- Number printouts
- Scissors
- Glue stick
What To Do:
You can start each week by creating a chart that represents a number in different ways.
For example, let’s say this week’s number is five. You can help your child cut out and stick “5,” “five,” and “5th” onto their chart. You can also use dot stickers to show what those words and numerals mean by placing five stickers on the chart.
This visual representation can help your child begin to intuitively understand what the numbers mean instead of just memorizing symbols.
3) Get Creative With Sums
As highlighted above, number sense involves understanding how to take numbers apart and put them together in different ways. So, when your child is practicing sums, encourage them to think “outside the box.”
For example, if they know that 4+4 adds up to 8, they are likely to always (or often) write this down when asked. But we want our children to be comfortable using different strategies to solve problems.
To help them think critically, you can say, “6+2 also makes up 8. Can you think of other ways to make up 8?”
At first, it might be very challenging for your child to produce another solution. That’s OK! Encourage them to use an abacus or count items like beans to make the idea concrete.
With lots of time and practice, they’ll grasp that there are multiple ways to make up a large number.
4) Match The Quantities
What You’ll Need:
- Chart (or large craft paper)
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- Multiple paper cutouts of different shaped items (e.g., candy sticks, red dots, teddy bears, dice, etc.)
What To Do:
To get started, place two different quantities of the same item in different rows, leaving some space between them. For example, you can glue four candy sticks to one line on your paper and five candy sticks to the following line.
Then, encourage your child to count one row of items. After doing so, have them make another row of the same quantity using a different item.
So, if you have red dots or pictures of teddy bears, your child could place four red dots or four teddy bears below the original row to represent the number four.
Next, have them count the other row on their paper and repeat the matching exercise.
This creative hands-on activity can help children understand quantities and that, even though the paper candy sticks and dots don’t look the same, they both represent the same number.
5) Roll and Move
Do you have a board game with a number path at home? With just the board and dice, you can reinforce a host of number sense skills.
What You’ll Need:
- Board game with numbered path
- Dice
- Figures to represent each player
What to Do:
Take turns and roll the dice. Move your figure ahead the number of spaces the dice indicate. Ask your child to try different strategies, like counting in sequence, estimating how far they should move, or skip counting to get there.
You don’t have to even play the actual game, though you’ll probably want to!
6) Go on a Number Hunt
Your child can practice counting as they set off on an adventure to find the missing numbers.
What You’ll Need:
- Paper
- Marker
- Tape
What to Do:
First, ask your child to practice writing their numbers, one on each sheet of paper. Then tell them to close their eyes or have them go to their room for a couple of minutes as you hide the numbers around the house.
Once you’re ready, tell your child that the numbers one through 10 have gone missing in the house and challenge them to find them.
You can give your child a time constraint to make it extra fun or explain that the only way they “win” is by bringing the numbers back to you in order.
7) Number Box Fill and Find
This game will help your child better understand number placement.
What You’ll Need:
- Paper
- Marker
- Various objects or LEGO® bricks
What to Do:
First, have your child create a 10-frame, which is basically a rectangle divided into 10 squares, five on the top and five on the bottom. Then call out a number. Your child should write that number into the corresponding square.
For instance, if you call two, they should write a two in the second square. Then tell your child to find two objects. You can either let them get up and explore or have a tub of LEGO® bricks by their side.
At the end, have them count the objects they’ve collected in all. If it’s too hard, help them divide into smaller groups they can manage.
8) Number War
This may be a familiar card game, but it’s always a good one to help reinforce relative value for your child.
What You’ll Need:
- Deck of cards
What to Do:
Split the deck of cards in half. Take out the jacks, queens, kings, and aces. Keep the jokers in — and tell them that whoever draws the joker not only loses the hand but has to stand up and do a funny dance!
Now, have your child say “1,2,3, Go!” When they say “go” both of you flip your top card. Whoever has the higher number card wins the hand and gets to keep the cards.
Ask your child to decide who wins each time so they can reinforce their understanding of number sequence and value.
9) Button Jar Line Up
Here’s a hands-on activity to help them count and sequence like a pro.
What You’ll Need:
- 10 small jars or cups
- A collection of buttons
- Masking tape
- Marker
What to Do:
Prepare each jar with a small piece of masking tape. Give your child the first small jar and call out a number. Ask them to put that number of buttons into the jar and then write the number on the masking tape.
Then call out the next number, and they repeat that step, but then put the next jar either before or after the first, depending on whether the number is bigger or smaller.
More Number Sense Activities
If you want to reinforce your child’s number sense learnings, add HOMER Early Learning Kits to your bag of tricks! Our kits cover a range of topics from numbers and counting to shapes and building, helping your child practice what they know and hone new skills.
You can also supplement their activities with some online practice.
Our learning app offers a math curriculum that brings your child through the building blocks of mathematical thinking and number sense to build their confidence, reinforcing it with games, stories, and songs.
It takes your child from toddler years, through preschool, kindergarten, and beyond.
Tips for Teaching Number Sense
Ready to start practicing number sense with your child? Here are a few tips to keep in mind.
Use Rhymes and Songs
Children love a good rhyme, so find (or make up) ones about math and numbers. Use catchy songs to help them learn to count, for instance.
Reinforce Learnings in Multiple Ways
Because all learners are different, show numbers in a multitude of ways. Say a number, write a number, and use an abacus or dot cards to explain how there are different ways to represent the same thing.
Demonstrate Multiple Ways to Problem Solve
Not only do children learn differently, but they get to their answers differently as well. Ask your child how they solved a math problem and then show them how you solved it. The more exposure they have to different approaches, the better.
Keep It Hands-On
Numerical concepts will be more deeply learned when children are able to use blocks, magnetic numbers, and even their fingers or toes to demonstrate an understanding of quantities.
Incorporate Numbers in Unexpected Activities
No matter what you’re doing with your child, bring in a little number sense — like counting potato chips in a bag or comparing prices of two kinds of cereal at the grocery store.
Give Real-Life Examples
Any time you have an opportunity to reinforce a concept with a real-life example, take it. When it’s clean-up time, have your child estimate and count how many of their toys they put onto the shelf or into the bin.
Don’t Just Answer, Explain
Always ask your child to not only tell you the answer but also explain how they got there. Being able to put math into words shows a deeper understanding.
Build in Time for Daily Practice
Learning number sense takes practice. Allocate time in the day for number games and activities like the ones we described above. The more regular practice time your child has with numerical concepts, the better.
Have Fun
Like with anything you want to teach your child, keep it fun and engaging!
Building a Strong Mathematical Understanding
Number sense plays an essential role in our everyday lives. Every time we measure out the ingredients to bake a cake, shop for the best price, or compare the distances of different routes before we travel, we’re using number sense.
As adults, these concepts have become second nature to us. And by using the activities we’ve mentioned in this article, you can help your young learner understand and master their number sense, too.
Let Begin help your child with their learning adventure. Our hands-on kits and digital apps, including the HOMER Learn & Grow app, will give your child more practice strengthening other essential mathematical skills.
Of course, building confidence in mathematical concepts doesn’t happen overnight, but with practice, you’ll be hearing them apply these skills in so many ways.
So, the next time they tell you your cupcakes are the best they’ve ever tried or that your hair looks better shorter, you can thank number sense for that!
