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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Ice Cream Counting Game
Help students practice their knowledge of counting numbers 1-20 with this fun ice cream matching game.
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Halloween Counting to 10 Worksheets – Kindergarten
Count, write, and match numbers and objects with printable Halloween counting worksheets.
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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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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.
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1 to 9 Number Sequencing Activity - Dog Template
A fun dog-themed number sequencing activity.
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Subitizing Slap It!
Help students strengthen subitizing skills with this multiplayer math card game!
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Kindergarten Morning Work (August)
Practice foundational math and language arts skills during the month of August with this collection of 23 kindergarten morning work worksheets.
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I Have Who Has - Numbers 1-20
Practice identifying numbers 1–20 with this set of “I Have, Who Has” game cards.
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Rolling to 100 Board Game
Practice counting to 100 by 1's with this interactive hundreds chart board game for multiple players.
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Counting Within 20 Picture Puzzle
Practice counting objects within 20 and matching groups to numbers through this 15-piece winter scene picture puzzle.
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Numbers 1-10 Bug Matching Game
Help students learn to represent numbers 1-10 in picture, word and number form.
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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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Representations of Numbers 1-20 Flashcards
A set of flashcards showing various representations of numbers from 1-20.
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Color by Number - Numbers 10–20
A color by number activity for students to practice recognizing teen numbers.
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Number Talks - Target Number Task Cards
Build number sense skills with this set of 20 task cards.
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1-10 Counting Worksheet
A worksheet to practice one-to-one correspondence.
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Counting to Twenty in Word Form - Color Poster
A poster showing numbers and words from 1–20.
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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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Alien Eyes - Number Game
A number game to help students with number identification (1–12) and counting small quantities.
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Numbers in the Environment - Number Hunt Worksheet
A busy street number hunt worksheet for students to identify a range of numbers in the environment.
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Ordinal Numbers Worksheet
A worksheet to help students practice working with ordinal numbers.
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Alien-Themed Counting Worksheet
Use these alien-themed counting worksheets to help your students count quantities between 1 and 10.
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Make a Pizza Counting Game
Use this pizza-themed counting game to get your students matching numerals with their corresponding quantities.
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My Life in Numbers Worksheet
Use this numbers worksheet as a means of student introductions early in a new school year.
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I Can Count To Ten – Cut and Paste Worksheet
Use this set of counting worksheets to help your students sequence numbers from 0 to 10.
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Hickory Dickory Dock – Nursery Rhyme Poster
Use this “Hickory Dickory Dock” nursery rhyme poster to teach your youngest students about rhyme, rhythm and counting.
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Ten Frame Matching Game
Use this ten frame game to strengthen your students’ number sense and foundational math skills.
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Here Comes the Band – Counting Rhyme Poster
Use the counting rhyme “Here Comes the Band” poster to teach your students about numbers and rhyme simultaneously!
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Counting Picture Puzzle Numbers 1-5
Practice counting objects within 5 and matching groups to numbers through this 15-piece camping scene picture puzzle
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Counting to 20 Match-Up Cards
Count objects up to 20 with our match-up card game.