Foundational Math Topic: Number Sense

Number sense is the ability to understand the quantity of a set and the name associated with that quantity. Strong number sense developed in the early years is a key building block of learning arithmetic in the primary grades, as it connects counting to quantities, solidifies and refines the understanding of more and less, and helps children estimate quantities and measurements. © Erikson Institute’s Early Math Collaborative. Reprinted from Big Ideas of Early Mathematics: What Teachers of Young Children Need to Know (2014), Pearson Education.

Series: Adult Learning

Different Uses of Numbers with Anno’s Counting Book

February 25, 2019

Books are a powerful way to launch math investigations with children, but also with adult learners. Our Learning Labs often use picture books as a doorway into mathematics. Here, teachers explore multiple representations of the number five in Anno's Counting Book by Mitsumasa Anno.

Topic: Number Sense
Age/Grade Level: Kindergarten, Pre-K

Series: Focus on the Child January 29, 2019

Many Ways to See How Many

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.

Topic: Number Sense
Age/Grade Level: Kindergarten, Pre-K
Tags Dot cards, Estimation, Subitizing, Unifix Cubes

Series: Focus on Play September 26, 2018

Match ‘Em All

This bingo-like game allows children to think about numbers in different ways. It focuses children on the attribute of quantity of small sets and helps them build a more robust number sense.

Topic: Number Sense
Age/Grade Level: Kindergarten, Pre-K
Tags Dice, Games, Subitizing

$simple tossing game with math$

Series: Focus on Play September 25, 2018

The Hoop Game

This game played with a hula hoop and bean bags demonstrates all the math that can be explored with a simple tossing game. Each round gives children practice seeing and naming smaller parts of a total number in a variety of ways.

Topic: Number Sense
Age/Grade Level: Kindergarten, Pre-K
Tags Games, Subitizing

Series: Ideas at Work September 11, 2018

Preschool Number Sense Routine Perfect for Transitions

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

Topic: Number Sense
Age/Grade Level: Kindergarten, Pre-K
Tags Dot cards, Subitizing

Series: Focus on the Lesson August 17, 2018

Dot Card Transition Activity

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.