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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Counting Objects Hunt – Numbers 1–10
Use one-to-one correspondence skills to practise counting objects up 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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Representations of Numbers 1-20 Flashcards
Practise representations of numbers 1 - 20 in your classroom with this versatile set of flashcards.
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I Have, Who Has – Rounding to 500 000
Use this engaging maths game to practise rounding numbers through 500 000 with your students.
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1 to 20 Car Park Number Match
A car park themed number matching activity to use in the classroom when identifying the numbers from 1 to 20.
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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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Ordinal Numbers Bingo Cards
32 different bingo cards using ordinal numbers.
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Numbers, Words and Tallies Match-Up Activity - Tens
A game to help your students understand numbers and all of the different ways they can be represented.
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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.
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Subitising “Construct-a-City” Activity
Utilise this hands-on subitising activity to help your students learn to subitise to 5 and beyond.
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Number Recognition Printable Dot Maze Pack
Utilise these number recognition printable worksheets to help your students identify the numbers 1 through 20.
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Monster Counting Mats Numbers 1-10
Count monster eyes up to 10 with this fun counting activity for the early years classroom.
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Build a City Counting Game
Build towers consisting of numbers up to 10 with this fun build a city 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 to 10 Match-Up Activity
Practise counting to 10 with this set of twenty object and number matching cards.
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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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Even and Odd Numbers Task Cards - Word Problems
Identify odd and even numbers within word problems with a set of task cards.
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A New Monarch - A Royal 'I Spy' Worksheet
Count and find the royal symbols that represent the King's Coronation.
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Making Ten Memory Game
Practise making ten using ten frames with this fun memory game.
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Bunny Subtraction Mini Book
Learn about subtraction with this cute bunny-themed subtraction story!
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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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Pop Art Products - Basketball Colour By Number Worksheet
Bring some pop art into the classroom with a multiplication colour-by-number worksheet.
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Subitise and Exercise
Get active with this subitise and exercise teaching brain break presentation.
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Counting Peg Cards – Dinosaurs
Practice counting objects with a set of 18 dinosaur-themed counting peg cards.
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Rounding Task Cards
Use place value knowledge to round numbers to the nearest ten through to the nearest hundred thousand with this set of 20 task cards.
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100 Chart Mystery Picture Puzzle
Practise identifying numbers within 100 with this set of 44 number cards and hundreds board.
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Ice Cream Addition Activity
A cute ice cream-themed addition activity.
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Numbers 1-12 Frog Catching Flies Activity
A hands-on activity where children consolidate their knowledge of numbers 1-12.
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Hundreds Board Mystery Picture Task Cards
A set of 32 activity task cards that require students to colour in a hundreds chart to reveal a mystery picture.
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100th Day Snack Template
A template for students to use to count out 100 snack items!
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Number Talks - Number Sense Task Cards
Build number sense skills with this set of 24 task cards.
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Numbers 1 to 10 – Poster
A poster of numbers in different forms.