Number Sense Teaching Resources
Browse printable number sense worksheets, hands-on maths activities and more teacher resources created by teachers for teachers like you!
These resources are aligned with the Australian Maths Curriculum, and each was created by teachers with teachers — and students — in mind to help build foundational maths skills in ways that engage and excite students about numbers!
Want to learn more about number sense? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including a definition of number sense, how to assess this important maths skill and more!
What Is Number Sense?
In the most basic sense (no pun intended), number sense refers to a student's intuitive understanding of numbers and their relationships. It includes the ability to estimate and compare quantities, understand numerical patterns and relationships and make reasonable judgments about the accuracy of calculations.
When students show an understanding of numbers, their size, relationships,and how they are affected by the four mathematical operations, what they're really showing is their number sense.
In an educational setting, building number sense is closely related to other foundational skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking and logical reasoning. As our students get older, it will become a crucial skill for daily life they will use to manage finances, calculate time and make decisions based on numerical information.
Teach Starter Teacher Tip: Although the names may seem interchangeable, it's worth noting that number sense is not the same as mathematical fluency or memorisation of algorithms, but rather a deep understanding of the underlying concepts and relationships between numbers.
When Does Number Sense Develop?
There is no single year level when we're teaching students number sense — instead, it continues to develop and become more sophisticated as students progress through primary school.
Research suggests that babies as young as 6 months old can distinguish between small and large numbers of objects, and by prep, students are already working on number sense as they begin to learn counting and one-to-one correspondence. At this level, they're also beginning to develop an understanding of quantity and relative size — both key to overall number sense.
Number sense will continue to grow in primary school as students become more adept at recognising and using numbers to solve problems, and it continues into high school and — for many students — into university.
Assessing Number Sense
When we assess students for their number sense skills, there are certain mathematical concepts that they should have under their belts. These include:
- Ability to Recognise Missing Numbers in a Pattern —When kids can fill in missing numbers in a sequence, they're showing that they can make connections between numbers and develop an understanding of the relationships between them.
- Ability to Use Maths Mentals — Students with number sense can use maths mentals to solve problems involving the four basic operations.
- Ability to Engage in Systematic Counting — Children who can count systematically can more easily understand the relationships between numbers, including number magnitude, patterns and sequences.
- Ability to Subitise Numbers — Students can use visual clustering skills to instantly recognise how many objects are in a group without physically counting them.
- Ability to Relate Numbers to Real-World Problems —For example, a student may understand that '3' means 'three objects' or 'three days' or 'three dollars.'
- Ability to Compose and Decompose Numbers — Students use number sense when they break down numbers and put them back together. For example, a student who can break down the number 10 into 8 and 2, then add the two back together to again make 10, is using number sense.
- Plus Plan
Writing Numbers 0-10
A chart to assist students when learning how to form numbers.
- Plus Plan
Prime Numbers - Assorted Backgrounds
Prime numbers displayed on a hundreds board.
- Plus Plan
Counting Collections and Connecting Numbers PowerPoint
A 16 page editable PowerPoint presentation to use as part of a numeracy lesson when teaching place value to younger students.
- Plus Plan
Counting 1-20 Worksheet Pack
Practise counting to 20 with this set of worksheets ready to go!
- Free Plan
Real World Applications of Positive and Negative Numbers – Worksheet
Use positive and negative numbers to represent quantities in real-world scenarios with this worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Number Talks - Number Sense Task Cards
Build number sense skills with this set of 24 task cards.
- Free Plan
Hands and Numbers 1-10 Counting Activity Template
Teach counting from 1 to 10 and one-to-one correspondence with a creative (and free) printable activity.
- Plus Plan
Roman Numeral Sign 1 - 10,000
Give your students a handy reference for ancient number systems with this Roman numerals poster set!
- Plus Plan
Firetruck Colour By Number Worksheet
Build number identification skills with a printable Firetruck Colour by Number Worksheet.
- Free Plan
Which Is More? Counting Card Game
Compare and order collections up to 20 with this set of counting cards.
- Plus Plan
Numbers 1-10 Bug Matching Game
Help students learn to represent numbers 1-10 in picture, word and number form.
- Plus Plan
Roll & Cover Preschool Counting Activity (P-1)
Build fine motor and counting skills with a set of printable Roll and Cover Preschool Counting Activity Mats.
- Plus Plan
Comparing Three-digit Numbers – Worksheet
Practise comparing three-digit numbers with this hands-on worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Sequencing Activities — Numbers 1-9 Sausage Dog
Use our sequencing activities like this sausage dog to help your students practise ordering the numbers 1 - 9.
- Plus Plan
Counting and Colouring Basketball I Spy Worksheet
Have a bit of counting and colouring fun with a basketball worksheet for Prep.
- Plus Plan
Positive and Negative Numbers – Board Game
Practise identifying opposite integers, plotting positive and negative numbers and solving word problems with this board game.
- Free Plan
Counting 1-20 Number Game
Practise counting from 1-20 with this fun alien-themed counting game.
- Plus Plan
Number Recognition Activity Mats (Numbers 0 - 10)
Use these Number Recognition Activity Mats to give your students hands-on practise building and writing the numbers 0 - 10.
- Plus Plan
Virtual Subitising Card Deck
Display these virtual subitising cards to teach your students to instantly recognise quantities.
- Plus Plan
Comparing Integers – Maths Mazes
Compare positive and negative numbers while you work your way through this set of maths mazes.
- Plus Plan
Colour by Number - Numbers 0-9
An engaging activity to consolidate your students’ recognition of one-digit numbers.
- Free Plan
Subitising Dominoes
Use these subitising dominoes to give your students practise subitising small collections of objects.
- Plus Plan
Composite Numbers - Assorted Backgrounds
Composite numbers displayed on a hundreds board.
- Free Plan
Subitising Activity — Clip Cards (Numbers 1 - 10)
Share this subitising activity with your students to give them hands-on practise subitising to 10.
- Free Plan
Numbers in the Environment Worksheet
Practise identifying numbers in the environment with this "seek-and-find" worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Ten Frame Printable — Monster Teeth
Delight your students with this ten frame printable activity. This resource reinforces number recognition by inviting them to add teeth to monster-themed ten frames.
- Plus Plan
I Can Count To Ten – Cut and Paste Worksheet
Use this set of counting worksheets to help your students sequence numbers from 0 to 10.
- Free Plan
Counting Crowns Numbers 1-10
Create number crowns when learning to count to ten with this set of crown templates.
- Plus Plan
Making Ten Memory Game
Practise making ten using ten frames with this fun memory game.
- Plus Plan
Subitise to 10 Task Cards — Number Talks
Help your students subitise to 10 and beyond with these number talk task cards.
- Plus Plan
Number Grid Interactive Activity
Share this number grid interactive activity with your students to give them practice adding and subtracting ten and one from a given number.
- Plus Plan
Subitising Card Game
Utilise this subitising card game to reinforce number recognition and subitising skills with some friendly competition!
- Number Sense Games
- Number Sense Worksheets
- Number Sense Posters
- Number Sense Templates
- Number Sense for Preschool/Kindergarten
- Number Sense for Foundation Year
- Number Sense for Year 1
- Number Sense for Year 2
- Number Sense for Year 3
- Number Sense for Year 4
- Number Sense for Year 5
- Number Sense for Year 6