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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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 Handwriting Practice Worksheets
Provide number handwriting practice to your students with this set of worksheets for the numbers 0 through 20.
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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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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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Count and Graph Worksheet Pack
Explore counting and graphing skills with this set of three worksheets.
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Paralympic Games Count and Color Worksheets
Count and tally Paralympic icons with our engaging I Spy Worksheets, perfect for enhancing your students' observation and counting skills.
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Counting 1-20 Worksheet Pack
Practice counting to 20 with this set of worksheets ready to go!
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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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I Can Count - Worksheet
A worksheet for students to practice counting up to 10 objects.
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Tracing Numbers 0-20
Practice writing numbers 0–20 with this tracing activity.
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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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Sequence Puzzle for Numbers 1 - 10 — Gingerbread Man
Share this sequence puzzle with your students for a fun way to practice ordering the numbers 1 - 10.
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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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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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Number Recognition Activity Mats (Numbers 0 - 10)
Use these Number Recognition Activity Mats to give your students hands-on practice building and writing the numbers 0 - 10.
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Numbers 1 - 20 Mini Number Books Pack
Introduce the numbers 1 - 20 with these mini books full of activities that are sure to sharpen students' number recognition skills.
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Number Word Search Puzzles
Assign these number word search puzzles to your students to give them practice identifying the word form of the numbers 0 through 20.
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Number Recognition Printable Dot Maze Pack
Utilize these number recognition printable worksheets to help your students identify the numbers 1 through 20.
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Numbers 1–20 - Puzzle Pack
Identify and sequence the numbers from 1 to 20 with a set of Numbers 1-20 puzzles for preschool and kindergarten..
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Fire Truck Printable Math Worksheets (PK-K)
Build number and 2D shape identification skills with our Fire Truck Printable Math Worksheets for Pre-K and Kindergarten.
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Counting to 20 Cut and Paste Worksheet
Count objects within 20 and match the total to its written number on this 2-page cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Counting Up to 20 Zoo Animals Worksheet Pack
Count the different animal groups on this set of three worksheets perfect for practicing fundamental counting skills.
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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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Spring "Numberpillars" — Kindergarten Caterpillar Puzzles
Match numbers 1-10 with their various visual representations to build fun caterpillar puzzles!
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Numbers 0 to 20 - Playdough Mats for Fine Motor Development
A set of number playdough mats to help children develop their fine motor skills and identify the numbers from 0 to 20.
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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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Subitizing Slap It!
Help students strengthen subitizing skills with this multiplayer math card game!
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Counting to 20 Task Cards
Practice counting objects up to 20 with this set of 16 task cards.
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Ordinal Numbers - Worksheet
A worksheet for students to practice using ordinal numbers.
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Ordinal Stories and Sorting Activity
A fun, hands-on sorting activity to use when learning ordinal numbers.