Number line activities help kids see numbers as distances from zero, which makes adding and subtracting easier to picture. Start with a floor number line made from tape, then hop forward to add and back to subtract. Homemade straight-path board games, clothesline number lines and "where does it go?" guessing games make great next steps.
A number line is a straight line with numbers marked at equal distances, starting from 0. Numbers get bigger as you move right and smaller as you move left. A What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) practice guide on helping elementary students who struggle with math lists the key features:
Each whole number is the same distance from the next one.
The numbers follow a predictable order, just like counting.
Moving right means bigger, and moving left means smaller.
Arrows on both ends show that the line keeps going.
It can count by ones, or show patterns like 0, 2, 4, 6 or 0, 10, 20, 30.
Number lines show up across the grades. In the Common Core, second graders represent whole numbers as lengths from 0 on a number line and show sums and differences within 100 on one. In later grades, the WWC guide shows the same tool being used for fractions.
Young children often start with something simpler. A number path is a row of numbered spaces beginning at 1, like the squares on a board game, and each space is one thing you can count. A separate WWC guide on teaching math to young children notes that a simple list of numbers starting at 1 is similar to a number line but easier for young children to use when counting and learning numerals.
A number line starts at 0, and the numbers mark points, with the space between them showing one unit. The WWC guide for struggling students suggests starting with a concrete version, such as a path children can walk, a board game or a clothesline, then connecting it to a drawn number line. Help your child notice that the 1 on a number line stands for the whole distance from 0 to 1, not just a tick mark.
Lay a strip of painter's tape along the floor, or draw a long line with sidewalk chalk.
Mark 0 near one end, then add tick marks one big step apart. Use a shoe or a ruler so the spaces are equal.
Label 0 to 10 with sticky notes, index cards or chalk. Add 11 to 20 later.
Draw an arrow at the end to show that the numbers keep going.
Equal spacing matters. If the gaps are uneven, the line stops showing how far apart numbers really are.
On a number line, adding means moving right and subtracting means moving left. The WWC guide's example: start at 5 and move 3 units right to land on 8, so 5 + 3 = 8. Start at 8 and move 3 units left to land on 5, so 8 - 3 = 5. The guide stresses focusing on the length of each jump rather than counting tick marks.
Hop to add. Your child stands on 4. "Hop 3!" They say "5, 6, 7" as they land, so 4 + 3 = 7.
Hop back to subtract. Start on 9 and hop back 4: "8, 7, 6, 5." So 9 - 4 = 5.
How far apart? Stand on 5 and put a toy on 8. How many hops between you and the toy? That shows 8 is 3 more than 5.
Write it down. After a few hops, write the matching equation on paper. Then flip it: write an equation and have your child act it out. The WWC guide recommends always connecting the equation and the number line.
Common mistake: counting the starting number as the first hop. If your child stands on 4 and says "4, 5, 6" for "hop 3," remind them that a hop is a move, so the first number they say is where they land.
Straight-path board game. Draw a row of ten squares numbered 1 to 10. Take turns with a die or spinner, and say each number out loud as you move your piece. In two studies by Robert Siegler and Geetha Ramani, low-income preschoolers who played a simple board game with numbered squares in a straight line improved on number tasks, while children who played the same game with colors instead of numbers did not. In one study, about an hour of play in total led to gains that were still there nine weeks later.
Where does it go? Draw a line with only 0 and 10 marked. Name a number, like 7, and have your child mark where it belongs. Then fill in all the numbers to check. With older kids, try 0 to 100. The WWC guide suggests this kind of estimating with only the two ends marked.
Clothesline numbers. Hang a string between two chairs and clip number cards on it in order. Mix them up, or leave gaps, and let your child fix it.
Mystery number. "I'm thinking of a number. Start at 6 and jump back 2. Where am I?" Your child hops it out to check.
Skip-count hops. Hop by 2s, 5s or 10s on a longer line. The WWC guide suggests showing these counting patterns as equal-sized jumps.
Bigger or smaller. Secretly pick a number on the line. Your child guesses, and you say "bigger" or "smaller" until they find it.
This is just an example. Shorten it for younger kids.
2 minutes: walk the line and say each number.
4 minutes: three hop-to-add and three hop-back problems.
4 minutes: one round of "where does it go?" or the board game.
In the Common Core, second graders formally represent numbers, sums and differences on a number line. Younger children can start with number paths and board games, and later grades use number lines for fractions.
A number path is a row of numbered spaces starting at 1, like a board game. A number line starts at 0 and uses equal distances between points, so it shows how far apart numbers are.
Start on the bigger number and hop left, one hop for each number you take away. Where you land is the answer. For 10 - 3, start on 10, hop three times and land on 7.
Some research says they can help with early number skills. In studies by Siegler and Ramani, preschoolers who played a numbered straight-path game improved on number tasks. The WWC early math guide adds that number board games helped basic number concepts, though results for number recognition and operations were mixed.
Number Beasts: Bond Lab is a different kind of practice: a free iPhone and iPad puzzle game about making exactly 10. You launch a number at a beast and it pops when the total is exactly 10, and if you overshoot, the beast still pops and the leftover number keeps flying to the next beast. It has no ads, no accounts and no in-app purchases, works offline, and adds a new Daily Lab puzzle each day.
Get Number Beasts free on the App Store