“I’m just not a maths person” is something children learn to say — usually after rushing into rules before understanding numbers. Number sense is the feeling that numbers make sense, and it can be built through play.
What is number sense?
It is knowing that 9 is close to 10, that 25 is a quarter of 100, and that there is more than one way to reach an answer.
Five games that build it
- 1Kitchen estimation — guess how many grapes are in the bowl, then count
- 2Number of the day — find five ways to make today’s number
- 3Shop keeper — play shop with real coins and change
- 4Pattern hunt — spot repeating patterns on clothes, tiles and rangoli
- 5Dice race — roll two dice and add, subtract or multiply
Ask “how do you know?”
When your child gives an answer, ask them to explain it. Explaining turns maths from guessing into reasoning.
- #maths
- #number sense
- #games
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
My child knows the tables but still struggles. Why?
Memorised facts without understanding break down in word problems. Number sense games fill that gap.
