Regardless of how high a preschooler can rote count, a child’s sense of what those numbers actually mean develops gradually. We call this understanding number sense, and it requires relating numbers to real quantities.

Moving from one activity to another just got a lot more mathematical with this simple routine that builds early number sense with preschoolers.

Transition time is a great time for mathematizing a daily routine. This dot card transition is a relatively simple routine that builds number sense in a concrete way, allowing them to subitize.

This book is a delightful way to start a discussion about estimation in the early grades. Is it reasonable that Hugh Thomas caught a million fish?

Students create visual representations of different numbers. All children will benefit most from exploring number arrangements by beginning with 3 and moving up from that.

A child selects a card with a given number of dots.

A child produces a small set of counters to match a shown quantity.