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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Crazy Creatures – Counting Worksheet
Bring a bit of (not-so) spooky counting into year 1 with a crazy creatures Halloween activity.
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Autumn Counting to 10 Clip Cards
Practice counting objects with 18 autumn-themed counting to ten clip cards.
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Comparing Numbers-Halloween Word Problems
Practise comparing numbers using MAB blocks with a Halloween Maths word problem worksheet.
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Halloween Comparing Numbers Worksheet
Have a spooktacular time practising number comparisons with a count and compare Halloween maths worksheet.
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Numbers About Me Worksheet
Let your students introduce themselves in numbers with this fun 'Numbers About Me' back-to-school template.
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Search and Find – Back to School
Start the school year with a fun Search and Find maths activity for Year 1 students.
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Christmas Worksheet - Search and Find
Practise counting with your students to get them in the mood for the holidays with this fun Christmas search, count, and find activity.
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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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Exponential Expressions – Match-Up Activity
Match numerical expressions with exponents to their expanded expressions and solutions with this match-up activity.
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Easter Hundreds Board Mystery Pictures
A set of 9 Easter-inspired mystery hundreds charts.
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St. Patrick's Day Maths Activity - Odd and Even Number Sort
Sort odd and even numbers into their corresponding pots with a St. Patricks Day theme!
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Number, Word and MABs Matching - Clovers
Practise place value of 2-digit numbers with this clover-themed puzzle.
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Four in a Row – Numbers 6–10
Match picture cards with numerals to practise counting to 10.
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Comparing Two Digit Numbers — Clash Game for Year 1
Practise comparing two-digit numbers with the help of this year 1 board game.
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Christmas Printables – I Spy Worksheet Set
Find, colour and count the Christmas objects in these fun Christmas I Spy worksheets.
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Counting Peg Cards – On the Farm
Practise counting objects with a set of 18 farm-themed counting peg cards.
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Counting Peg Cards - Halloween
Practise counting objects with a set of 18 Halloween peg cards.
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Chook, Chook, Chook, Chook - Number Rhyme and Worksheet
A 1 - 10 number rhyme and accompanying worksheet.
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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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Sorcerer Supplies – Numbers 1 to 100 Chart
Sorcerer Supplies themed hundreds board.
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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.
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Tens Numbers 10 - 100 Posters - Money, Tallies, Tens Frames and MAB Blocks (Australian Currency)
Posters showing numbers going up in tens from 10 - 100 with associated images.
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I Can Count to 10! – Mini Book
A mini book that allows students to count small numbers of objects.
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Number 19 - Worksheet
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about the number 19.
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Number 18 - Worksheet
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about the number 18.
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Number 17 - Worksheet
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about the number 17.
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Number 16 - Worksheet
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about the number 16.
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Number 15 - Worksheet
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about the number 15.
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Number 13 - Worksheet
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about the number 13.
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Number 12 - Worksheet
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about the number 12.
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Number 11 - Worksheet
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about the number 11.
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1-20 - Printable Number Posters
A set of cute posters representing numbers 1 - 20.
- 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