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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Chick Counting Activity - Numbers 1-20
Practise recognising, counting and subitising numbers from 1-20 with this Easter-themed counting activity.
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Rounding to the Nearest Ten - Interactive Activity
Practise rounding two-digit numbers to the nearest ten with this interactive Google Slides activity.
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Ten in the Bed - Counting Activity
A fun hands-on 'Ten in the Bed' number rhyme activity to help students sequence numbers and count backwards from 10.
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Colour Counting Worksheet
A worksheet to consolidate the concept of numbers and associated values.
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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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Ten Frame Number Posters (0-20)
Decorate your classroom with our ten frame number posters that will delight your animal-loving students while providing concrete representations of the numbers 0-20.
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Subitising Bingo Games (Numbers 1 - 10)
Play these subitising bingo games in your guided groups to give your students practise subitising numbers up to 10.
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Subitising to 10 Worksheet
Practise subitising to 10 with your students using this printable worksheet set.
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Recognising Numbers 0 — 10 Bingo (Small Group)
Play this fun number recognition game with your preschool and foundation students to help them identify the numbers 0 - 10!
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Counting to 20 I Have, Who Has? Card Game
Show student knowledge of counting to 20 with this fun I Have, Who Has? Counting Card Game.
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Numbers 1–20 Peg Cards
Facilitate counting practise with this set of multisensory peg cards.
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Counting Up to 20 Zoo Animals Worksheet Pack
Count the different animal groups on this set of three worksheets perfect for practising fundamental counting skills.
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Number Talk Task Cards - Ten Frames
Build number sense skills with this set of 30 ten and double ten frame maths talk task cards.
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Positive and Negative Numbers – Board Game
Practise identifying opposite integers, plotting positive and negative numbers and solving word problems with this board game.
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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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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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Counting Objects Bear Hunt – Numbers 1–10
Use one-to-one correspondence and basic counting skills with this hands-on game.
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I Have Who Has – Numbers 1–20
Practise identifying numbers 1–20 with this set of “I Have, Who Has” game cards.
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Four in a Row – Numbers 1–10
Match picture cards with numerals to practise counting to 10.
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Comparing Three-digit Numbers – Worksheet
Practise comparing three-digit numbers with this hands-on worksheet.
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Counting to Twenty Poster - Colour - No Capitals
A poster showing numbers and words from one to twenty.
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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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Roman Numeral Sign 1 - 10,000
Give your students a handy reference for ancient number systems with this Roman numerals poster set!
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Subitising to 10 Interactive Task Cards
Practise subitising to 10 with these varied and engaging interactive task cards.
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Subitising Dice - Numbers 1 to 9
Practise subitising to 9 with your students using this versatile set of dice flashcards.
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Subitising Assessment Pack
Utilise our Subitising Assessment Pack to test your students' ability to subitise quantities up to 10.
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Subitising Card Game
Utilise this subitising card game to reinforce number recognition and subitising skills with some friendly competition!
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My Life in Numbers Worksheet
Use this numbers worksheet as a means of student introductions early in a new school year.
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Counting to 20 Match-Up Cards
Count objects up to 20 with our match-up card game.
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Counting to 10 Partner Games
Play games and practise counting to 10 with these fun partner game templates.
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Build a City Counting Game
Build towers consisting of numbers up to 10 with this fun build a city game.
- 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