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
Hands-On Numbers 1-10 Caterpillar Activity
Match numbers 1-10 with their various visual representations to build a fun mathematical caterpillar!
- Plus Plan
Number Recognition Worksheet - Sloth Colour-by-Number
Use the number colour coding on this colouring sheet to create a cute sloth-themed picture.
- 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
Counting Objects Hunt – Numbers 1–10
Use one-to-one correspondence skills to practise counting objects up to 10.
- Plus Plan
Rounding Numbers – Teaching Slides
Teach the basics of rounding numbers with this engaging animated PowerPoint.
- Plus Plan
Counting Peg Cards – Bugs and Insects
Practice counting objects up to 10 with a set of 18 insect-themed counting clip cards.
- Plus Plan
100 Alphabet Letters
Practise counting to 100 by 1’s with upper and lowercase alphabet cards and blank hundreds board.
- Plus Plan
Colourful Insects – Numbers 1 to 100 Chart
Colourful Insects themed hundreds board.
- Free Plan
Cupcake Counting Activity
A colourful number activity using counters.
- Plus Plan
Valentine's Day Hundreds Chart Mystery Pictures
A set of 9 Valentine's Day-inspired mystery hundreds charts.
- Plus Plan
Pirates - Numbers 1 to 100 Chart
A pirate themed hundreds board.
- Free Plan
Subitising Dominoes
Use these subitising dominoes to give your students practise subitising small collections of objects.
- Plus Plan
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.
- Free Plan
0-9 Digit Cards
A set of 0-9 digit cards to be used for numeracy games in the classroom.
- Plus Plan
Counting to Twenty Poster - BW - No Capitals
A poster showing numbers and words from one to twenty.
- Plus Plan
Counting to Twenty Poster - BW
A poster showing numbers and words from one to twenty.
- Plus Plan
Ordinal Stories
A game that incorporates reading and ordinal number skills.
- Plus Plan
1-10 Counting Worksheet
A simple worksheet to help students with their counting skills.
- Plus Plan
Ordinal Number Word Search with Solution
A fun word search to help your students learn ordinal numbers.
- Plus Plan
Racing Car Ordinal Numbers 1st - 10th
Racing cars with the number and the corresponding word for each ordinal number position.
- Plus Plan
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.
- Plus Plan
Numbers and Words 0-10
Numerals 1-10 and their corresponding names.
- Plus Plan
Learn and Play Spots - Simple Addition and Subtraction
Carpet rings perfect for velcro carpet dots, focusing on simple addition and subtraction of numbers.
- Plus Plan
Identifying Numbers Teaching Slides
A 12 page editable presentation to use when teaching number recognition to younger students.
- Plus Plan
Comparing Collections Sorting Activity
Support students in comparing quantities by providing an easy, hands‑on activity that lets them sort items and decide if they can be shared evenly.
- 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
Animated Flip Book (Ordering Numbers)
Delight your students with this animated flip book that will help them solidify their understanding of counting and ordering the numbers 1 through 20.
- Plus Plan
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.
- Plus Plan
Ten Frame Printable Templates
Use these printable ten frames in various math lessons to reinforce number sense and other essential skills.
- Plus Plan
Subitising to 10 Teaching Slides
Display our Subitising to 10 Teaching Slides to encourage mathematical discussions in your classroom.
- 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
Subitising “Construct-a-City” Activity
Utilise this hands-on subitising activity to help your students learn to subitise to 5 and beyond.