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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Easter Hundreds Chart Mystery Pictures
A set of 9 Easter-inspired mystery hundreds charts.
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Spring "Numberpillars" — Kindergarten Math Center Activity
Match numbers 1-10 with their various visual representations to build a fun mathematical caterpillar!
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Roll, Count, and Cover - Dot Day Activities
Build fine motor skills and counting skills with a set of printable Roll, Count, and Color Dot Day Activities.
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Kindergarten Math Review - Easter Worksheets
Practice various Kindergarten math concepts with a pack of Easter worksheets.
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Count the Chicks! Easter Counting Activity
Practice recognizing, counting, and subitizing numbers from 1-20 with this Easter math activity.
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Easter Basket Digital Math Center
Save time lesson planning in the lead up to Easter with this Easter-themed Digital Math Activity.
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Subitize and Color – Worksheet
Practice subitizing to five with this color-by-number worksheet.
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Tracing Numbers 0-20
Practice writing numbers 0–20 with this tracing activity.
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Spring Math Activity - Ten Frame Task Cards
Step up your students’ number recognition, counting, and subitizing skills with a printable set of Spring Tens Frame task cards.
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Christmas Math Puzzle - Counting to 10
Count groups up to 10 with a printable Christmas math puzzle.
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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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Ten Frame - Printable Templates
Print a set of 10 blank ten frames to use in various math lessons.
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Easter Picture Puzzles - Numbers 1-20
Practice number recognition with this fun Easter puzzle activity.
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How Many Are There? Counting to 20 Task Cards
Practice counting objects up to 20 with this set of 16 task cards.
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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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Free Counting From 1 to 10 Activity — Hands And Numbers Template
Teach counting from 1 to 10 and one-to-one correspondence with a creative (and free) printable activity for preschool, kindergarten, or 1st grade.
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Search and Find – Back to School
Start the school year with a fun Back to School math activity for first graders.
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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 Clip Cards - Insects
Practice counting objects with a set of 18 insect-themed counting clip cards.
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Frog and Flies Match-Up Activity (Counting to 12)
Practice counting numbers 1 to 12 with this fun frog and fly match-up activity.
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Color by Number - Numbers 0–9
A color by number activity for students to practice number recognition.
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Numbers, Words, Dots, and Tallies Mix-Ups - 1 to 20
A game to help your students understand numbers and all of the different ways they can be represented.
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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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Counting Collections to 20 Worksheet
A worksheet for students to use when counting small collections.
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Thanksgiving Color-By-Number for Kindergarten - Counting
Count sets of objects up to ten with a printable Thanksgiving Color by Number Worksheet for Kindergarten.
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Pumpkin Count and Color - Halloween Math Worksheet
Use these Halloween math worksheets to practice counting sets of objects up to ten.
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Numbers to 30 - Tens Frames - Printable
Use a printable ten frame when working on counting, addition and subtraction, odd and even numbers, or place value.
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Number Recognition Worksheets - Sloth Color-by-Number
Provide your preschoolers with a fun color by number activity to practice number recognition, color recognition, and fine motor skills.
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Subitize This! – Lesson Warm-up
Use this subitizing slide deck as a quick warm-up before your lessons.
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Subitize and Exercise – Brain Break Activity
Get active with this subitize and exercise brain break activity.
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Composing and Decomposing Numbers - Instructional Slide Deck
Introduce composing and decomposing numbers to your students with this instructional slide deck.
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Valentine's Day Math - Counting to 20 Task Cards
Practice numbers 1 to 20 with a set of printable Valentine’s Day task cards created by teachers for teachers.