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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Counting Objects Dominoes - Numbers 11–20
Practice counting objects by matching 28 numeral and picture dominoes.
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Counting Objects Parking Lot - Numbers 1-10
Practice counting objects and recognizing numerals with a match-up style game.
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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 Objects Sort - Numbers 1-5
Practice counting 1 – 5 objects with this colorful sorting activity.
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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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Search and Find – Food Edition
A fun, search and find counting activity
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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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Color by Number - Numbers 0–9
A color by number activity for students to practice number recognition.
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I Can Count to 10! – Mini-Book
A mini-book that allows students to count small numbers of objects.
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My Mini Number Book – 19
A little book of activities for the number 19.
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I Can Count to 5! – Mini-Book
A mini-book that allows students to count small numbers of objects.
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My Mini Number Book – 2
A little book of activities for the number 2.
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My Mini Number Book – 1
A little book of activities for the number 1.
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Seek and Find – Underwater Theme
A fun, search and find counting activity.
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Number 20 - Worksheet
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about the number 20.
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I Can Count - Worksheet
A worksheet for students to practice counting up to 10 objects.
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Alien Counting Activity
Ideal to use in the classroom when learning how to use one-to-one correspondence to count small sets of objects.
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Representations of Numbers 1-10 Flashcards
A set of flashcards showing various representations of numbers from 1-10.
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Hundreds Chart Mystery Picture Task Cards
Practice identifying numbers 1-100 with this set of 32 mystery picture task cards.
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Numbers 0 to 20 Handwriting - Worksheet
Activity worksheets to use in the classroom when learning about the numbers 0 to 20.
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Little Number Books (1-20)
A set of little books to assist younger students with number recognition and understanding for numbers 1-20.
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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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6-Digit Number of the Day Worksheet
A 6-digit place value worksheet to represent the number of the day in different ways.
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Subitizing Leapfrog Game
A fun game for students to play when learning to subitize numbers from 1 to 6.
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Subitizing 1 to 12 - Memory Game
A set of subitizing cards for students to play a game of memory when learning to subitize numbers.
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1-10 Counting Worksheet
A worksheet to practice one-to-one correspondence.
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Counting to 20 - Worksheet
A worksheet to practice one-to-one correspondence.
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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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Number Match-Up Activity (1-20)
Use this match-up activity to consolidate your students' knowledge of numbers up to 20.
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1 to 20 Parking Lot Number Match
A parking lot themed number matching activity to use in the classroom when identifying the numbers from 1 to 20 in word and standard form.
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How Many Candles? - Birthday Cake Counting Activity
A fun, hands-on activity to practice one-to-one correspondence.
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How Many Eyes? - Alien Counting Worksheet
A worksheet to practice one-to-one correspondence.