Number sense activities help kids understand what numbers mean, not just how to say them. The best ones are short and hands-on: quick looks at small groups (called subitizing), homemade dot cards, ten frames, estimating games and everyday math talk. A few minutes of play with things you already own is a good place to start.
Number sense is a child's feel for numbers. It means knowing that "five" is a certain amount, seeing which group has more, and noticing how numbers fit together. Counting is part of it, but not the whole story. A child can recite to 20 and still not realize that the last number they say tells how many things there are.
The Common Core kindergarten standards spell out this foundation. Children learn that the last number said tells how many objects were counted, that the total stays the same no matter how the objects are arranged, and that each next number is one more. They count to answer "how many?" for up to 20 things in a line, or up to 10 scattered things, and they compare two groups to say which has more, fewer or the same.
Subitizing means recognizing how many are in a small group without counting. A practice guide from the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), part of the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, suggests starting with groups of one to three items and asking, "How many do you see?" The guide calls this a critical skill that helps children go on to count larger groups and, eventually, add and subtract.
The hiding game. The WWC guide describes a simple version. Show one to three small objects for a few seconds, cover them with a cloth, and ask, "How many am I hiding?" Then lift the cloth so your child can check. Rearrange the objects and play again.
Snack-time looks. Hand over two crackers and ask how many your child has. The guide points to everyday moments like snack time and book reading as natural practice.
"Not three" talk. Young children sometimes say "three" for any small pile. The guide suggests contrasting examples: "That's four toys, not three toys." Then ask your child to find two of something, and something that is not two.
Mix it up. Start with three matching things, like three spoons. Later use three different things, like a spoon, a car and a sock, so your child learns that "three" is about how many, not what the things look like.
Dot cards are easy to make. Draw dots on index cards or scraps of cardboard: 1 to 6 dots for younger kids, up to 10 for older ones. Arrange some in tidy patterns, like the dots on dice, and scatter others.
Flash and tell. Show a card for about two seconds, hide it, and ask how many dots. Then ask, "How did you see it?" One child sees five as "three and two." Another sees "four and one more." Both are great answers.
Dot match. Lay dot cards and numeral cards face down. Take turns flipping two. Keep the pair if the dots match the number.
Which has more? Flip two dot cards at once. Whoever says which card has more, and can explain how they know, keeps the pair.
A ten frame is a grid of two rows of five boxes. Draw one on paper or trim an egg carton down to ten cups, then use beans or coins as counters. The Math Learning Center explains that frames help children see amounts as groups and in relation to benchmark amounts, which helps them move away from counting one by one.
Quick frames. Fill some boxes, show the frame briefly, and ask how many. A full top row is always 5, so seven is "five and two more."
How many more to make 10? Fill the frame partway and ask how many empty boxes are left. Finding the number that makes 10 with any number from 1 to 9 is a kindergarten Common Core standard. Our guide to number bonds to 10 has more ideas.
Estimating gives kids a feel for how big numbers are. Keep it playful and let your child check every guess by counting.
Guess the jar. Put some pasta pieces or blocks in a clear jar. Ask, "More than 10 or less than 10?" Then count together. Keep the amount small at first.
Handful guess. Each person grabs a handful of beans. Guess who has more, then line them up side by side to check.
Steps to the door. Guess how many steps it takes to reach the door, then walk and count.
Talking about numbers during ordinary moments is one of the easiest number sense activities. In a study of 44 children published in Developmental Psychology, the amount of number talk parents used when their children were 14 to 30 months old predicted how well the children understood the meanings of number words at 46 months, even after accounting for family socioeconomic status. The authors note that the study shows a link, not proof that the talk caused the difference.
Easy ways to add more number talk:
Name amounts: "You have two shoes on and three buttons left."
Compare: "Who has more grapes, you or me? How can we find out?"
Count real things: stairs, cars in a row, spoons on the table.
Ask "How did you know?" after your child answers, then listen.
This is just an example. Adjust it to your child's age and mood, and stop while it's still fun.
2 minutes: the hiding game with one to three small toys.
3 minutes: flash and tell with five dot cards.
3 minutes: fill a ten frame and ask how many more make 10.
2 minutes: one estimating guess, then count to check.
Knowing that three cookies and three cars are both "three," seeing which pile is bigger without counting each item, knowing that 9 is close to 10, and understanding that moving objects around doesn't change how many there are.
Subitizing is recognizing a small amount at a glance, like seeing the dots on a die and knowing it's four without counting. The WWC guide suggests starting with groups of one to three.
No. Counting is one piece. Number sense also includes knowing that the last number counted tells how many, comparing amounts, and seeing how numbers break apart and combine.
Play short games with real objects, use number words in everyday talk, and ask your child to explain their thinking. Keep it light. A few minutes on most days is easier to keep up than one long session.
Number Beasts: Bond Lab is a free puzzle game for iPhone and iPad built around one slice of number sense: combining numbers to make exactly 10. You launch a number at a beast and it pops when the total is exactly 10, while a short shot makes the beast grow so it needs a smaller number next time. It has no ads, no accounts and no in-app purchases, and it works offline, so it can sit alongside the hands-on activities above rather than replace them.
Get Number Beasts free on the App Store
Common Core State Standards: Kindergarten, Counting and Cardinality
Common Core State Standards: Kindergarten, Operations and Algebraic Thinking