Number Sense Teaching Resources
Browse printable worksheets, hands-on math center activities and more teaching resources designed to teach number sense in the elementary classroom.
Developing number sense is an important building block for elementary math students and unlocks a deeper understanding of numbers and their relationships. Aligned with Common Core, each worksheet, game and century activity was created by teachers with teachers — and students — in mind to help build those 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 math 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 memorization of algorithms, but rather a deep understanding of the underlying concepts and relationships between numbers.
When Does Number Sense Develop?
There is no one grade level when we're teaching students number sense — instead, it continues to develop and become more sophisticated as students progress through elementary school.
Research suggests that babies as young as 6 months old can distinguish between small and large numbers of objects, and by preschool, 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 elementary school as students become more adept at recognizing and using numbers to solve problems, and it continues into high school and — for many students — into college.
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 Recognize 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 Mental Math — Students with number sense can use mental math 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 Subitize Numbers — Students can use visual clustering skills to instantly recognize 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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Ten Frame Printable Templates
Use these printable ten frames in various math lessons to reinforce number sense and other essential skills.
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Counting Crowns Numbers 1-10
Create number crowns when learning to count to 10 with this set of crown templates.
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Count and Graph Worksheet Pack
Explore counting and graphing skills with this set of three worksheets.
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Search and Find – Food Edition
A fun, search and find counting activity
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Seek and Find – Underwater Theme
A fun, search and find counting activity.
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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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Subitizing Worksheets for Kindergarten
Incorporate these subitizing worksheets for kindergarten into your lessons to give your students practice subitizing collections up to 12.
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Printable Ten Frames (Single and Double)
Introduce these printable ten frames to your students to promote number sense with hands-on learning.
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Number Recognition Bingo — Numbers 0 - 10 (Small Group)
Reinforce your students’ number recognition skills with this fun BINGO game!
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Roll & Cover Counting Printables for Kindergarten
Build fine motor skills and counting skills with a set of printable Roll and Cover Counting Printables for Kindergarten.
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Christmas Counting Worksheet - Search and Find
Practice 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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Counting and Ordering Numbers Worksheet Pack
Support counting and ordering numbers with this handy worksheet pack that helps students build early numeracy skills quickly and confidently.
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Kindergarten Counting 1-20 Matching Game
Use this matching game in your primary classroom to teach students to count quantities and match them to numbers (1-20).
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Number Recognition Assessment Pack
Utilize this Number Recognition Assessment Pack to evaluate your students’ progress in recognizing the numbers 0 through 120.
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Identifying Numbers Teaching Slides
A 12 page editable Google Slides presentation to use as part of a numeracy lesson when teaching place value to younger students.
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Color By Number Fire Truck Coloring Page
Build number identification skills with a Color by Number Fire Truck Coloring Page.
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Search and Find Bowerbird Worksheets
Explore images of bowerbirds and search, find and count objects that bowerbirds collect or bowerbirds themselves.
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Decomposing Numbers – Word Problem Worksheet
Challenge students to decompose numbers presented in a word problem by rearranging the parts and showing different combinations.
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Counting to 100 — Dot Day Worksheet
Celebrate International Dot Day with this fun, hands-on way to learn how to count to 100 using ten frames.
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Counting Objects Board Game - Numbers 1-5
Practice basic math skills with a counting objects board game.
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100 Chart Mystery Picture Puzzle
Practice identifying numbers within 100 with this set of 44 number cards and hundred chart.
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Dot-to-Dot Worksheets – Counting by Ones
Use this set of 3 dot-to-dot worksheets to get your youngest students practicing how to count by ones.
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Cover Up! — Subitizing Numbers Game
Use this subitizing game to help your students instantly recognize the numbers 1 - 6.
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Ordinal Numbers - Worksheet
A worksheet for students to practice using ordinal numbers.
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Tracing Numbers 0-20
Practice writing numbers 0–20 with this tracing activity.
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Ordinal Stories and Sorting Activity
A fun, hands-on sorting activity to use when learning ordinal numbers.
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Counting Collections and Connecting Numbers PowerPoint
A 16-page editable PowerPoint presentation to use as part of a counting lesson when teaching place value to younger students.
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0-9 Digit Cards
A set of 0-9 digit cards to be used for numeracy games in the classroom.
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Tracing Numbers 0-10
A worksheet to assist students when learning how to write the numbers 0–10.
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Number Recognition Worksheet Pack
Use this collection of number recognition worksheets to help your students practice recognizing the numbers 0 through 20 in many forms.
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Ordinal Numbers Worksheet
A worksheet to help students practice working with ordinal numbers.
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Counting On and Counting Back Worksheets
Practice adding and subracting with this counting on and counting back worksheet pack.