Number Sense Games

Developing Number Sense

I have learned more about the importance of number sense this year than ever before. If a child does not have a sense about how much is 1 or how much is 5, they do not have the foundation for completing other math including basic addition. Knowing this, I have created a few games to help children develop this sense of number.

Games

To prepare the games simply print the cards and cut them apart. The templates are available at BMTM’s TPT Store. I have added an optional backing to each card set. The different backings help students know which cards to choose from when playing. For example, in the first game, students will have to pick one blue background card and one purple background card. When completed you should have 3 sets of cards:

purple dots with purple backing

blue dots with blue backing

purple numbers with purple backing

Card Games

Call It: Lay one set of dot cards face up. Have another player choose a dot card from the other pile and say the number on the card. The other player has to find the matching card as fast as he can.

Memory: We all know how to play Memory. Place all the cards face down and try to choose two cards that match. This can be played with the blue dot cards and the purple dot cards or with the blue dot cards and the purple number cards. When playing with young learners, always begin with the two set of dot cards before playing with the number cards.

Go Fish: Play just like the traditional game only use the purple and blue dots cards. Later you can use the blue dots and the purple number cards. Players say something like this, “Do you have 9?” The other player looks at his hand to see if he has the card with the 9 dots. If so, he gives that card to his opponent. The game continues until all the cards are paired up.

UNO (ish): Give each player 5-6 cards. Place the rest of the pile in the middle with one card face up. Have player one match the card in the middle to one of the cards in their hand. If they cannot match by number, they can match by color.

Bingo

Played like the traditional game, a number is called out and the players find that number on their boards and cover it with a penny or other marker. The player that gets either three in a row or a full card “wins.”

These games can be found in our Teachers Pay Teachers Store.

Click the link below to take you there.

Games for Building Number Sense from BMTM

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