Number Sense Teaching Resources
Browse printable number sense worksheets, hands-on maths activities and more teacher resources created by teachers for teachers like you!
These resources are aligned with the Australian Maths Curriculum, and each was created by teachers with teachers — and students — in mind to help build foundational maths 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 maths 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 memorisation of algorithms, but rather a deep understanding of the underlying concepts and relationships between numbers.
When Does Number Sense Develop?
There is no single year level when we're teaching students number sense — instead, it continues to develop and become more sophisticated as students progress through primary school.
Research suggests that babies as young as 6 months old can distinguish between small and large numbers of objects, and by prep, 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 primary school as students become more adept at recognising and using numbers to solve problems, and it continues into high school and — for many students — into university.
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 Recognise 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 Maths Mentals — Students with number sense can use maths mentals 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 Subitise Numbers — Students can use visual clustering skills to instantly recognise 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.
- Plus Plan
Christmas Colour By Number - Hundreds Chart Mystery Pictures Activity
Print the perfect maths activity for Christmas: a set of 12 Christmas-inspired mystery hundreds charts.
- Plus Plan
Christmas Printables – I Spy Worksheet Set
Find, colour and count the Christmas objects in these fun Christmas I Spy worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Christmas Worksheet - Search and Find
Practise counting with your students to get them in the mood for the holidays with this fun Christmas search, count, and find activity.
- Plus Plan
Dot-to-Dot Worksheets – Counting by Ones
Use this set of 3 dot-to-dot worksheets to get your youngest students practising how to count by ones.
- Plus Plan
Number Handwriting Practise Worksheets
Provide number handwriting practise to your students with this set of worksheets for the numbers 0 through 20.
- Free Plan
Christmas Maths Puzzle - Counting to 10
Count groups up to 10 with a printable Christmas maths puzzle.
- Free Plan
Numbers 1-20 Puzzle Pack
Identify and sequence the numbers from 1 to 20 with a set of Numbers 1-20 puzzles for kids.
- Plus Plan
Multiplication Colour By Number Worksheet - Kangaroo
Hop your way through multiplication mastery with a multiplication colour-by-number worksheet.
- Plus Plan
One More, One Less - Worksheet
Practise foundational addition and subtraction facts using the concepts of one more and one less.
- Plus Plan
Hundreds Board Mystery Picture Task Cards
A set of 32 activity task cards that require students to colour in a hundreds chart to reveal a mystery picture.
- Plus Plan
One, Two, Three, Four, Five - Counting Rhyme Poster
A counting rhyme to use when learning to count to ten.
- Plus Plan
Number Recognition Worksheets — Numbers 1 - 20
Use these number recognition worksheets to help your students master a variety of maths skills for the numbers 1 through 20.
- Plus Plan
Halve it or Double it! - Maths Game
A hands-on game to play when learning about connecting halving and doubling.
- Plus Plan
Fire Truck Math Worksheets for Kindergarten / Foundation
Build number and 2D shape identification skills with our printable Fire Truck Maths Worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Counting to 20 Cut and Paste Worksheet
Count objects within 20 and match the total to its written number on this 2-page cut-and-paste worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Dotted Numbers 0-20 Handwriting Sheet
Get your students writing numbers from 0-20 with this number formation worksheet available in Australian school fonts.
- Plus Plan
Jellyfish Count to 10 Match-Up Craft
Use this fun teaching resource to help consolidate your students’ knowledge of counting to 10.
- Plus Plan
Colour By Number - Numbers 10-20
An engaging activity to consolidate your students’ recognition of two-digit numbers.
- Plus Plan
0–20 Number Matching Game
A matching game using numbers, written words, dice, and animal pictures from 0 to 10.
- Plus Plan
Number Word Search Puzzles
Assign these number word search puzzles to your students to give them practise identifying the word form of the numbers 0 through 20.
- Plus Plan
Roll, Count, and Cover - Dot Day Activities
Build fine motor and counting skills with a set of printable Roll, Count, and Colour Dot Day Activities.
- Plus Plan
Number Recognition 0-5 Colour-by-Number Pack
Practise number recognition with this colour-by-number activity pack! Students colour varied representations of the numbers 0-5 to solidify their understanding.
- Plus Plan
Fractions on a Number Line – Differentiated Worksheets
Practise plotting and counting by fractions on a number line with this set of differentiated worksheets.
- Free Plan
Counting Crowns Numbers 1-10
Create number crowns when learning to count to ten with this set of crown templates.
- Plus Plan
Counting Up to 20 Zoo Animals Worksheet Pack
Count the different animal groups on this set of three worksheets perfect for practising fundamental counting skills.
- Plus Plan
Algebraic Expressions – Interactive Activity
Practise writing, reading and solving algebraic expressions with this set of interactive activities.
- Plus Plan
Secret Number Patterns – Card Game
Keep your secret number pattern hidden as you race to be the first to create number patterns based on given rules.
- Plus Plan
Tracing Numbers 0-10 Handwriting Worksheet
Get your students tracing numbers from 0-10 with this number formation worksheet available in Australian school fonts.
- Free Plan
Tens Frame Mats (Single and Double)
Introduce these tens frame mats to your students to promote number sense with hands-on learning.
- Plus Plan
Number Bonds Subtraction - Worksheet
Practise subtraction using number bonds with differentiated number bond worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Numbers and Words to 20 – Worksheet Pack
Use this set of worksheets when students are practising connecting numbers to words and quantities.
- Plus Plan
Roman Numeral Sign 1 - 10,000
Roman numerals can be difficult to learn and retain. Use this poster as a visual stimulus in your classroom.
- Number Sense Worksheets
- Number Sense Games
- Number Sense Posters
- Number Sense Templates
- Number Sense for Preschool/Kindergarten
- Number Sense for Foundation Year
- Number Sense for Year 1
- Number Sense for Year 2
- Number Sense for Year 3
- Number Sense for Year 4
- Number Sense for Year 5
- Number Sense for Year 6
- Number Sense for Year 7