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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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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Count the Chicks! Easter Counting Activity
Practice recognizing, counting, and subitizing numbers from 1-20 with this Easter math activity.
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Basketball I Spy Worksheet
Have a bit of counting and coloring fun with a basketball worksheet for Kindergarten.
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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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Counting Clip Cards - Dinosaurs
Practice counting objects with a set of 18 dinosaur-themed counting clip cards.
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Fall Counting Clip Cards
Practice counting objects with a set of 18 fall-themed counting clip cards.
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Halloween Math - Counting Clip Cards
Practice counting objects with a set of 18 Halloween clip cards.
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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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100 Chart Mystery Picture Puzzle
Practice identifying numbers within 100 with this set of 44 number cards and hundred chart.
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Counting to 10 Match-Up Activity
Practice counting to 10 with this set of twenty object and number matching cards.
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Ten Frame Mats (Single and Double)
A ten frame mat and a double ten frame mat to use in a variety of ways.
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Base-10 Flashcards - Numbers 1–120
A set of Base-10 flashcards for the numbers 1–120.
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Frog in a Pond - Color by Numbers
Color by numbers is a fun and easy way to help students recognize digits 1-6.
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Numbers, Words, and Tallies Up to 20 - Worksheet
A worksheet for students to practice representing number 1–20 using numbers, words, and tally marks.
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Number Word Search with Solution - 3
A number search to help your students to learn place value.
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Marine Animal Counting Worksheet (0–9)
A worksheet to practice one-to-one correspondence.
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Number Ring Activity (1-20)
A number matchup activity to practice numbers 1-20.
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Numbers 1–30: Standard, Word, and Ten Frame Matchup Cards
A set of matchup cards to practice representing the numbers 1–30.
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Numbers 1 to 20 Cupcake Matchup Activity
Use this matchup activity to consolidate your students' knowledge of numbers to 20.
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Counting Collections to 20 Worksheet
A worksheet for students to use when counting small collections.
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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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Christmas Math Puzzle - Counting to 10
Count groups up to 10 with a printable Christmas math puzzle.
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Counting Clip Cards - Fire Safety
Practice counting objects with a set of 18 fire-themed counting clip cards.
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Halloween Math Worksheets - Spooky Ten Frames
Model numbers to twenty using ten frames with a spooky Halloween math worksheet for kindergarten.
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Number Talks - Ten Frame Task Cards
Build number sense skills with this set of 30 ten and double ten frame math talk task cards.
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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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Ten Frame - Printable Templates
Print a set of 10 blank ten frames to use in various math lessons.
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200-299 Number And Word Flashcards – Circles
Use these flashcards when learning about numbers and words.
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Christmas Color By Number - Hundreds Chart Mystery Pictures
Print the perfect color-by-number math activity for Christmas: a set of 12 Christmas-inspired mystery hundreds charts.
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Kindergarten Math Review - Easter Worksheets
Practice various Kindergarten math concepts with a pack of Easter worksheets.