Number sense is a person’s ability to understand, relate, and connect numbers. This includes comparing numbers, determining their values, and recognizing their value in various contexts. A wide range of math skills is included in number sense. The following skills all fall under the umbrella of number sense:
- Counting and Cardinality: Understanding counting, number sequences, and assigning numbers to objects.
- Quantity and Magnitude: Grasping quantity concepts and comparing/estimating quantities.
- Number Relationships: Recognizing patterns, understanding place value, and identifying number families.
- Operations and Computation: Performing mental calculations, solving arithmetic problems, and mastering basic operations.
- Estimation and Approximation: Making reasonable guesses and rounding numbers to specific values.
- Spatial Sense and Number Patterns: Identifying patterns in numbers, shapes, and spatial relationships.
- Real-World Connections: Applying number sense to everyday situations like money, time, measurement, and data.
Why Is Number Sense Important?
Children who have a strong foundation in number sense go on to have a strong sense of mathematical understanding and problem-solving abilities. We need to guide children to comprehend what numbers represent, how they relate to each other and their relevance in everyday life. Some examples of early numeracy concepts and upper-grade concepts are explained below.
Early Grades Numeracy Concepts:
- Verbal counting: This is when kids can say the counting numbers in the correct order.
- Object counting: This is when kids count for a purpose. They touch objects as they count.
- Cardinality: This is when kids can answer the question how many after counting without having to start over and count the objects again.
- Subitizing: This is when kids can tell how many without having to count. They start seeing things as sets and groups.
Upper Grades Numeracy Concepts:
- Verbal counting: This is when kids can skip counting by 2s, 5s ,10s, 100s. When they are first starting to skip count they need actual objects or visuals that they can count with. This will attach meaning to verbal counting, which will bring in the object counting and cardinality.
- Subatizing: Kids need to be able to see small groups so that they can visualize what multiplication is. Our brains can not subatize higher than 5, unless the visual is arranged in a nice pattern. This allows us to see smaller pieces within the group and put them together.
- Object counting and cardinality are intertwined together and they are intertwined with verbal counting and subatizing.
How Can I Help My Child Gain Number Sense?
Many math experts say that number sense can’t be taught, it is caught. This means that as parents and teachers, we need to provide experiences. If we tell a story such as, “I saw 3 birds in the tree, and 2 of them flew away, and there was 1 left”, we are allowing them to picture amounts instead of just digits. This brings an image to mind. We need to give kids practical experiences. This means that we need to use concrete material, hands-on activities, and games.
Use Visuals & Manipulatives To Allow Children To Create & Model the Problem
We want to be able to help kids move past counting. When we use visuals in math, it shows kids how numbers compare and connect. These visuals help kids see the relationships between numbers. It is helpful for kids to use a variety of different visuals. Some examples of math manipulative and visuals are; ten frames, rekenrek (a math counting frame that uses beads), items arranged in groups, and base ten blocks.
A rekenrack has two rows of 10 beads. Each row has 5 red beads and 5 white beads.This helps students visualize benchmark numbers 5 and 10. They manipulate the rekenrek by sliding beads left and right. There are many free virtual rekenreks available online. Some activities you can do at home with a rekenrek include; showing them a digit or verbally giving them a number that they have to represent on the rekenrek, you can show them a number on the rekenrek for a few seconds and ask them what number they saw, and you can use these to model addition and subtraction problems.
Ten frames are another great visual to work with benchmark numbers 5 and 10. They can also be used to visualize addition and subtraction. In the upper grades ten frames can be used to quickly compare 2 digit numbers.
Here are a few more fun ideas for building number sense into your daily routines.
- Have children compare prices at the grocery store.
- Have your child help plan a party and estimate the numbers of guests and the amount of snacks needed for the party.
- Allow your child to help measure out ingredients in a recipe.
Let Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center Help Your Child With Number Sense
Number sense is the ability to work with and manipulate numbers. It is something that is caught, not taught. Number sense is the foundation of mathematics, and children with a strong number sense go on to have a strong sense of mathematical understanding and problem-solving. Manipulatives, visuals, and everyday math situations are the best ways for children to gain number sense. Contact us today for more information or to learn how we can help your child with number sense.
info@enrichmenttherapies.com
740 Community Drive, Unit A
North Liberty, IA 52317
319-626-2553
infodm@enrichmenttherapies.com
5530 West Pkwy, Suite 300
Johnston, IA 50131
515-419-4270
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