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.
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Halve it or Double it! - Maths Game
A hands-on game to play when learning about connecting halving and doubling.
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1-100 Number Flashcards Popsicle Sticks Blocks
Use these flashcards when learning about numbers and words.
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Pirate's Plunder - Number Line Subtraction Game
Practise using the jump strategy for subtraction from 20 with an exciting pirate-themed maths game.
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Classroom Number Display — Introducing the Numbers 1–10
Create an individualised number classroom display for the numbers 1–10 with this back-to-school resource.
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Comparing Three-digit Numbers – Worksheet
Practise comparing three-digit numbers with this hands-on worksheet.
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Number Talks - Subitising Task Cards
Build number sense skills with this set of 30 subitising task cards.
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10-20 Digit Cards
A set of 10-20 digit cards to be used when teaching place value.
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Numbers 0-20 Bingo
32 different bingo cards for numbers 0-20.
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One, Two, Three, Four, Five - Counting Rhyme Poster
A counting rhyme to use when learning to count to ten.
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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.
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Double Plus 1 – Game Boards
30 game boards to use when working with near doubles.
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Firefighter Colour By Number Worksheet - Hundreds Chart
Print the perfect maths activity to accompany your fire safety lessons with a printable firefighter colour-by-number worksheet
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Colour by Number Worksheet - Multiplication Facts (Rabbit)
Bring some colourful fun into your maths lessons with a multiplication colour by number worksheet.
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Basketball Maths Craft Activity
Practise 2-3 digit addition (with and without regrouping) with a fun basketball-themed maths craft activity.
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Number Talks - Target Number Task Cards
Build number sense skills with this set of 20 task cards.
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Number 1-30 Fishy Find Game
A set of 'fish' representing numbers 1-30 in numeral and word form.
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1 to 20 Dump Truck Number Cards
A set of dump truck themed number cards to use in the classroom when counting from 1 to 20.
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Identifying Numbers - Jungle Number Hunt Worksheet
A jungle themed number hunt worksheet for students to identify and colour in the numbers from 1 to 9.
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Colour Counting Worksheet
A worksheet to consolidate the concept of numbers and associated values.
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Train Carriage Card Game
Use the train and a deck of cards to consolidate students' knowledge of number sequencing.
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Number Wordsearch with Solution - 3
A number search to help your students to learn place value.
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Number Wordsearch with Solution - 2
A number search to help your students to learn place value.
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Number Wordsearch with Solution - 1
A number search to help your students to practice number recognition.
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Counting 1-20 Matching Game for Foundation and Grade One
Use this matching game in your early years classroom to teach students to count quantities and match them to numbers (1-20).
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Colourful Tens Frames
Print a colourful set of tens frames to enhance your small group maths lessons.
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Algebraic Expressions – Interactive Activity
Practise writing, reading and solving algebraic expressions with this set of interactive activities.
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Ten is a Match! - Memory-Style Game
Practise matching rainbow facts, or two numbers that add up to 10, with this set of 24 number cards.
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Counting and Colouring Basketball I Spy Worksheet
Have a bit of counting and colouring fun with a basketball worksheet for Prep.
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Real World Applications of Positive and Negative Numbers – Worksheet
Use positive and negative numbers to represent quantities in real-world scenarios with this worksheet.
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Subitise Battle – Card Game
Quickly subitise and compare with this fast-paced card game.
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Rolling to 100 Board Game
Practise counting to 100 by 1's with this interactive hundreds board game for multiple players.
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Ice Cream Addition Activity
A cute ice cream-themed addition activity.
- Number Sense Worksheets
- Number Sense Games
- Number Sense Posters
- 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
- Number Sense for Year 7