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.
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Number Sorting Activity: Numbers 1-10
A fun board game that helps students practise counting 1–10, with separate 1–5 and 6–10 sets for easy differentiation.
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Counting to 20 Interactive Task Cards
Explore the woods with this nature hike and count the different groups of objects along the way!
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Numbers to 30 - Printable Tens Frames
Use a printable ten frame when working on counting, addition and subtraction, odd and even numbers, or place value.
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Subitise Battle – Card Game
Quickly subitise and compare with this fast-paced card game.
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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.
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Cupcake Counting Activity
A colourful number activity using counters.
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Subitise to 10 Task Cards — Number Talks
Help your students subitise to 10 and beyond with these number talk task cards.
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Tens - Numbers 10 - 100 Posters - Money, Tallies, Tens Frames and MAB Blocks (New Zealand Currency)
Posters showing numbers going up in tens from 10 - 100 with associated images.
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Number 1-30 Fishy Find Game
A set of 'fish' representing numbers 1-30 in numeral and word form.
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Numbers 1 - 20 Representation Matching Cards
Practise representing the numbers 1 - 20 with your students using these matching cards that enable them to engage with numbers in six different formats.
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Numbers 1 to 10 – Poster
A poster of numbers in different forms.
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Writing Numbers 0-10
A chart to assist students when learning how to form numbers.
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Reading Colours Ordinal Numbers Worksheet
Consolidate reading colours and ordinal numbers with this worksheet.
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Numbers, Words and Tallies Match-Up Activity - Tens
A game to help your students understand numbers and all of the different ways they can be represented.
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Numbers and Words 0-10
Numerals 1-10 and their corresponding names.
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Counting Collections and Connecting Numbers PowerPoint
A 16 page editable PowerPoint presentation to use as part of a numeracy lesson when teaching place value to younger students.
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Identifying Numbers Teaching Slides
A 12 page editable presentation to use when teaching number recognition to younger students.
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Comparing Collections Sorting Activity
Support students in comparing quantities by providing an easy, hands‑on activity that lets them sort items and decide if they can be shared evenly.
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Number Ordering Game (Numbers 1 - 10)
Play this number ordering game for a fun way to increase student skill in ordering numbers 1 - 10.
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Subitising Dots Worksheets
Utilise these Subitising Dots Worksheets to help your students learn many ways to subitise to 10.
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Subitising to 10 Teaching Slides
Display our Subitising to 10 Teaching Slides to encourage mathematical discussions in your classroom.
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Subitising to 10 Interactive Task Cards
Practise subitising to 10 with these varied and engaging interactive task cards.
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Ten Frame Matching Game
Use this ten frame game to strengthen your students’ number sense and foundational maths skills.
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Counting Wheel Clip Cards Numbers 1-10
Practise counting objects to 10 and using fine motor skills to put a peg on these clip cards.
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Monster Counting Mats Numbers 1-10
Count monster eyes up to 10 with this fun counting activity for the early years classroom.
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Build a Pizza Counting Interactive Activity
Build a pizza by using counting skills with this fun interactive game.
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Counting to 10 Interactive Task Cards
Count groups of aliens up to 10 with this set of fun and engaging interactive counting task cards.
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Finger Counting Poster Set
Display this set of finger counting posters to10 in the early years classroom.
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Aliens in a Spaceship Counting Game (1-6)
Practise counting with this fun aliens in a spaceship counting game.
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Counting Watermelon Seeds Task Cards
Practise counting with this set of watermelon-themed counting task cards.
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Bugs in a Jar Counting Activity
Practise counting to 20 with this engaging and hands-on bugs in a jar activity set.
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Counting to 10 Match-Up Activity
Practise counting to 10 with this set of twenty object and number matching cards.