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
Counting Peg Cards – Dinosaurs
Practice counting objects with a set of 18 dinosaur-themed counting peg cards.
- Plus Plan
100 Chart Mystery Picture Puzzle
Practise identifying numbers within 100 with this set of 44 number cards and hundreds board.
- Plus Plan
Tens - Numbers 10 - 100 Posters - Money, Tallies, Tens Frames and MAB Blocks (New Zealand Currency)
Posters showing numbers going up in tens from 10 - 100 with associated images.
- Plus Plan
Number 1-30 Fishy Find Game
A set of 'fish' representing numbers 1-30 in numeral and word form.
- Plus Plan
Number 1 - 30 Egg Flip Game
Numbers 1 - 30 in numerals and words on frying 'eggs' to help students with number recognition.
- Plus Plan
Counting Crocodiles - Numbers 1 to 10 Worksheet
A crocodile themed place value worksheet to use when identifying and counting numbers from 1 to 10.
- Plus Plan
1-9 Number and Value Match-Up Worksheet
Match-up 1-9 numbers and words with this simple and easy to use worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Composite Numbers - Assorted Backgrounds
Composite numbers displayed on a hundreds board.
- Plus Plan
Ordinal Position Task Cards
Support early maths learning with this ordinal position activity designed to help Foundation students explore position and order through a fun, hands‑on number track task.
- 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
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
Number Recognition Worksheet Pack
Use this collection of number recognition worksheets to help your students practise recognising the numbers 0 through 20 in many forms.
- Plus Plan
Subitising Card Game
Utilise this subitising card game to reinforce number recognition and subitising skills with some friendly competition!
- Plus Plan
Counting to 20 Match-Up Cards
Count objects up to 20 with our match-up card game.
- Plus Plan
Counting to 10 Partner Games
Play games and practise counting to 10 with these fun partner game templates.
- Free Plan
I Can Count to 5 Mini Book
Count small objects up to 5 with this printable counting mini book.
- Plus Plan
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.
- Plus Plan
Counting Watermelon Seeds Task Cards
Practise counting with this set of watermelon-themed counting task cards.
- Plus Plan
Counting to 20 Interactive Task Cards
Explore the woods with this nature hike and count the different groups of objects along the way!
- Plus Plan
Halloween Counting to 10 Worksheets
Count, write, and match numbers and objects with printable Halloween counting worksheets.
- Plus Plan
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
- Plus Plan
Number Bonds Subtraction - Worksheet
Practise subtraction using number bonds with differentiated number bond worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Colour by Number Worksheet - Multiplication Facts (Rabbit)
Bring some colourful fun into your maths lessons with a multiplication colour by number worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Pop Art Products - Basketball Colour By Number Worksheet
Bring some pop art into the classroom with a multiplication colour-by-number worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Basketball Maths Craft Activity
Practise 2-3 digit addition (with and without regrouping) with a fun basketball-themed maths craft activity.
- Plus Plan
Subitise and Exercise
Get active with this subitise and exercise teaching brain break presentation.
- Plus Plan
Number Posters
Display this set of 1-20 number posters in the classroom to encourage a knowledge and understanding of each number.
- Plus Plan
Counting Peg Cards – Bugs and Insects
Practice counting objects up to 10 with a set of 18 insect-themed counting clip cards.
- Free Plan
Cupcake Counting Activity
A colourful number activity using counters.
- 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 Talks - Number Sense Task Cards
Build number sense skills with this set of 24 task cards.
- Plus Plan
Number Talks - Building Numbers Task Cards
Build number sense skills with this set of 24 task cards.