Developing “number sense” is a crucial part of early maths learning: it helps children to understand what numbers mean, gives them the ability to be flexible with numbers, and, ultimately, sets them on the path to becoming great mathematicians.
In the early years foundation stage (EYFS) classroom, children need lots of opportunities to explore and play with numbers for number sense to develop. Here are five easy activities I use to make sure this happens.
EYFS: Activities to nurture number sense
‘How many objects are there in the jar?’
Have a jar in the classroom in which you can fit objects of various sizes. Start off with a small quantity of relatively large objects - for example, three ping-pong balls - and ask the children to estimate how many there are in the jar. As they gain confidence, use smaller objects and increase the quantities.
Throughout this activity, it’s important to have regular conversations with the pupils to discuss the contents of the jar. For example: “Why is your estimation more than five?” “Why can’t there be 100?”
‘Can you help me count this?’
Make sure that children have the opportunity to count various objects. This can be built into everyday routines around the classroom: you could ask children to help you count the toys in the toy box or the pens in the pen pot, for example.
Getting children to count objects of different sizes helps them to realise that size does not affect the quantity. For instance, eight footballs are still a smaller quantity than 10 sweets, despite the children being able to hold the sweets in their hands.
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‘Can you sort these buttons by colour?’
Sorting is a great daily activity for young children: they can explore real objects and sort them in different ways. Buttons are a perfect resource because they are all different shapes, sizes and patterns. Let the children decide among themselves how they’d like to sort them; whether it’s by colour, size or shape.
It is surprising how observant children can be, and soon they will be sorting objects in many creative ways. This all helps children to practise counting and organising a set, which develops their understanding of quantities.
‘How many children are in class today?’
Regularly talk to the children about how many children are in school and how many are absent, and find a way to record this each day - you could have pictures of all pupils as part of a self-registration, for example.
You could also have questions of the day: for example, “do you prefer apples or bananas?” The children could write their name or place a picture on the preferred fruit. You could even have an area for children who don’t like either to record that, too.
These conversations can encourage the comparison of quantities. They can also influence addition and subtraction language, while the visualisations will allow children to develop a deeper understanding of numbers.
‘Shall we vote on it?’
Allowing pupils to vote for a story - either with a show of hands or by adding objects or named slips to jars - encourages them to count and compare to reach a decision on the winning book. You can ask them things like: “how many votes altogether?”, “Has anyone voted twice?”, “How can we find out which book has the most votes?”
The possibilities for this activity are endless, and pupils will develop critical-thinking skills to problem solve. This daily activity can really help to develop the skills needed for good number sense.
Sabrina Pinnock is an EYFS teacher and a maths lead in England
