Number Sense

Understanding Numbers- Numbers are used to describe quantities, to count, and to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Understanding numbers and knowing how to combine them to solve problems helps us in all areas of math.

• Count everything! Count toys, kitchen utensils, and items of clothing as they come out of the dryer. Help your child count by pointing to and moving the objects as you say each number out loud. Count forwards and backwards from different starting places. Use household items to practice adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing.
•  Sing counting songs and read counting books. Every culture has counting songs, such as "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" and "Ten Little Monkeys", which make learning to count – both forwards and backwards – fun for children. Counting books also capture children’s imagination, by using pictures of interesting things to count and to add.
•  Discover the many ways in which numbers are used inside and outside your home. Take your child on a "number hunt" in your home or neighborhood. Point out how numbers are used on the television set, the microwave, and the telephone. Spot numbers in books and newspapers. Look for numbers on signs in your neighborhood. Encourage your child to tell you whenever he or she discovers a new way in which numbers are used.                               
• Ask your child to help you solve everyday number problems. "We need six tomatoes to make our sauce for dinner, and we have only two. How many more do we need to buy?" "You have two pillows in your room and your sister has two pillows in her room. How many pillowcases do I need to wash?" "Two guests are coming to eat dinner with us. How many plates will we need?"
• Practice "skip counting". Together, count by 2’s and 5’s. Ask your child how far he or she can count by 10’s. Roll two dice, one to determine a starting number and the other to determine the counting interval. Ask your child to try counting backwards from 10, 20, or even 100.
• Make up games using dice and playing cards. Try rolling dice and adding or multiplying the numbers that come up. Add up the totals until you reach a target number, like 100. Play the game backwards to practice subtraction. Here is a Target 100 Game that you can print and play.
• Play "Broken Calculator". Pretend that the number 8 key on the calculator is broken. Without it, how can you make the number 18 appear on the screen? (Sample answers: 20 – 2, 15 + 3). Ask other questions using different "broken" keys.

Make math part of your child’s day. 

•  Point out to your child the many ways in which math is used in everyday activities. Here is a link to a free math game about money. 
•  Encourage your child to tell or show you how he or she uses math in everyday life. Easy Recipes That Will Get Your Family Talking About Math Link
•  Include your child in everyday activities that involve math – making purchases, measuring ingredients, counting out plates and utensils for dinner. Here is a free printable game.
•  Play games and do puzzles with your child that involve math. They may focus on direction or time, logic and reasoning, sorting, or estimating.
•  Do math problems with your child for fun.
•  In addition to math tools, such as a ruler and a calculator, use handy household objects, such as a measuring cup and containers of various shapes and sizes, when doing math with your child.     

Young children might enjoy a game that helps them develop a mental number line: Jumping on the Lily Pads. In this game, children take turns rolling a number cube and moving a “frog” along the game board (printable board game at the bottom of the link). You can even use sidewalk chalk and take the game outside where your child can get some movement in while playing and learning some fun math skills. The goal is to be the first whose frog reaches its lily pad. Here is a link to more ideas for developing a mental number line.

There is advanced mathematics hiding within this game, making it a great way for children to stretch their math muscles. And parents can play an important role by asking questions, such as, “Who is further ahead?” and “How many more spaces does the frog have to jump?”

Children have to build the idea that whole numbers are spaced equally along the number line. The more that children develop a mental number line, the more prepared they are for the math tasks that await them as they continue to grow. 

Skills practiced: recognizing written numerals, using one-to-one correspondence when counting, subitizing, counting on 

What you need:

A box of colorful m&m’s
Graph papers for kids
Crayons

Description:

Let your students dig into the box of m&m’s and take a few each. They have to count how many m&m’s of each color they got. If they count m&m’s of each color correctly, they can eat them! Otherwise, they have to return the m&m’s to the box and try again!

As they master their skills, you can take this math game to the next level. They can make a graph using graph paper and crayons! You may have to help them label the graph and the graphing part itself. Link to more ideas: More M&M Fun!

Skills Learned: Counting, addition, making graphs     

How Many Are Hiding? is a quick game that helps children practice identifying how many items are in a collection without needing to count every item singly—math educators call this subitizing. This game is especially appropriate for students who already know how to count.

To play, lay out a small assortment of coins on a flat surface. Ask children to count the assortment, and then cover some up with your hand. Now ask: How many are hiding?

A fun variant of this game is to play it on your hands: Put up a few fingers on each hand, and then ask the child to figure out how many fingers you are not raising. You can really play this game anywhere.

Skills practiced: subitizing, composing and decomposing number, comparing numbers

Games that build fluency with numbers are also important in the early years. One such game is Two Numbers, in which children learn to recognize written numerals, place them in the correct order, and practice addition skills.

To play, children roll dot cubes and identify the number they rolled. They then turn over either the corresponding number cards or the number card that corresponds to the sum of the two numbers. The goal is to be the first player to turn over all the number cards.

While children are identifying written numerals and practicing addition skills, they are learning how to build a mental number line as well. This is an important skill for children to develop.

Being able to call on a mental number line helps students with addition and subtraction and also makes the transition to fractions smoother.

Skills practiced: recognizing written numerals, one-to-one correspondence, number line, addition, subtraction, composing and decomposing numbers   

A flash of blue and orange flew across the room, followed by half a dozen more and a bunch of giggles.  Sounds like your typical Nerf gun battle, only in our house those flying Nerf darts mean learning is going on.  

This Nerf Gun Math Game is perfect for working on math facts at home (or even sight words!). 

Learning math facts and concepts can be boring so we like to add some fun when we can! With just a Deck of Playing Cards, it’s possible to play all sorts of fun math games. It’s also handy that it’s easy to take the deck of cards with you so you can play anywhere. Try out some of these fun card games such as the Math Facts War Card Game.     

What you need:

DIY baseball game board with math facts
Two dice
Number cards
Counters to use as baseball players—9 for each team

Description: Write the numbers 1 to 9 in one row and 0 in the next row to make a baseball diamond.

Help your students write math facts such as doubles (2 + 2, 3 + 3, etc.), near doubles (9 + 8), addition/subtraction of 10 (8 + 2, 5 + 5), and related subtraction facts (7 – 3, 9 – 6) on the number cards.

To play, have each student roll two dice. They get to move one of their baseball players the number of spaces corresponding to the first die and then answer the math fact that corresponds to the number they landed on. If they answer correctly, they get to roll again. The first player to get three of their baseball players “home” wins!

Skills Learned: Math facts fluency, addition, subtraction                                            

Replace fraction confusion with clear, visual understanding! Fraction strips—whether printed, accessed virtually, or made at home from colored paper—allow children to physically line up, stack, and compare fractional pieces. By working with tangible length models, kids build a deep conceptual grasp of equivalent fractions, benchmarking, and fractional operations without relying on memorized rules.

Skill Highlight: Equivalent Fractions, Fraction Comparison, Visual Addition/Subtraction, Part-Whole Length Models

Math in Slides: Digital Scavenger Hunts

Become a digital math whiz! Designed for remote, hybrid, and interactive learning, these grade-differentiated Google Slides Scavenger Hunts guide students through hands-on technology challenges. Kids practice essential digital skills—like dragging virtual counters, typing number sentences, drawing visual models, and organizing shapes—while building math confidence across three grade bands:

• [Math in Slides Scavenger Hunt: Grades K–1] — Base digital skills, counting, and shape sorting.

• [Math in Slides Scavenger Hunt: Grades 2–3] — Building visual models, array grids, and equation typing.

• [Math in Slides Scavenger Hunt: Grades 4–5] — Data presentation, diagram drawing, and multi-step digital problem solving.

Skill Highlight: Google Slides Fluency, Digital Math Manipulatives, Drag-and-Drop Problem Solving, Tech Confidence