Numeracy

Doubles
A fun way to explore doubles! Add some items in front of a mirror. Count how many items you started with and how many you can now see. Try and write a number sentence to reflect what you have done.

Pop it
The new kids craze is pop its! Love them or hate them, the best thing to do is embrace them and turn them into a elarning opportunity. Why not set up a fun coding activity like this one to support direction and logical thinking strategies.

Butterflies
Numicon pieces are so versatile. Why not set up a numicon butterfly activity to support children's understanding of doubles in a hands on and manipulative way.

Car Park
This counting car park is an easy way to begin moving children from counting by rote to counting specific objects and developing their 1:1 correspondence and subitising skills.

Coffee counting
A really fun way to practice those times tables. Write the answers on a coffee filter in felt tip pen. Provide the child with question cards and a pipette. Eevery time they pick up a question card they need to squirt the coresponding answer with water and watch the colours blur away.

Puzzle
Repurposing a puzzle can be a wonderful way to explore number. Simply turn a puzzle over and write numbers on the back. Then children can complete the puzzle, ordering the numbers and working out the missing numbers.

2's threading
Using a paper plate, write the times tables around the edge in any order. Then hole punch next to each answer. This child then needs to use string and thread through each answer in order.

Scratch cards
Well this is a really fun way to practice times tables! You can purchase scratch card stickers and then simply write the answers on the card, place the sticker over the top and then have fun checking if your answer is correct as you scratch away to reveal the hidden answer.

Pop it
Why not use your child's new favourite toy to practice their coordinates? This is a quick and simple activity to teach children how to read coordinates and plot a coordinate. Remember - it's along the runway and then take off!

Padlocks
Turning padlocks into fun maths activities are not only a way to support important maths skills but also works as a great fine motor and coordination activity. Attach numbers to padlocks with a sticker and then attach corresponding answers to keys.

Pyramids
This is a simple quick set up to support addition practice. Line up the bottom row of bricks and then children can add the correct addition bricks on top to build the pyramids.

Domino addition
Using dominoes for addition maths problems and writing number sentences can be a fun, simplistic and hands on approach to learning.

Rainbow numbers
A way to integrate sensory exploration into number formation is to create a rainbow salt tray. Using food dye, colour some salt and lay out on a tray. Children can use their finger to practice forming each number in the rainbow salt.

Scuba dive
Creating a sensory play tray can be a wonderful way to encourage children to start recognising numbers. Using some small clear craft pebbles, write numbers on the pebbles and bury in an underwater themed play tray. Children can dive into the tray and uncover each number.

Pasta numbers
Pasta number ordering. Use a sharpie on some dried pasta. The texture and active nature of this activity can make it really inviting for children. Thread the pasta and order the numbers. This is also great for fine motor too.

Subitising bee
Subitising is being able to instantly recognise an amount without counting. This skill can underpin so many mathematical skills for children later on. Roll the dice, find the matching number of dots on the part of the bee and then fill the circles with colour. Lots of visual number sense fun!

3,2,1, blast off
Cut out a rocket shape and place inside a strip of card with numbers descending from 20 to 0. As children move the rocket up to take off they can count down from 20.

Mop a number
If you would like your kitchen floor cleaned and your child to be able to practice recignising numbers then this activity is perfect for you. Chalk or chalk pens easily wash out from tiled flooring. So try writing some numbers on the floor and as you call them out the child needs to mop them away. A brilliant gross motor and number recognition activity.

Playdough arrays
When starting to learn the two times table, it's a great time to introduce arrays. using a manipulative as fun as playdough helps make the activity even more hansd on as the children can create their own arrays by rolling the dough. Base 10, counters, bingo dabbers, smarties etc are some other exciting ways to introduce this concept.
Arrays are pictorial representations of repeated addition. They are a great way of breaking down multipliaction and division highlighting the inverse operation (opposite action). Arranging objects in columns provides a clear way for children to learn about multiplication and division. They are a great way to solve word problems.

Leaf matching
Celebrate Autumn in a simple way. Find some dried leaves that have fallen, writing number bonds to ten on each half of the leaf. Cut the leaves in half and you have an instantly beautiful number bonds puzzle.

Meteor numbers
Create a sensory space tray with numbers 1-20 wrapped in silver foil as meteors. Children can play with the sensory tray and integrate their number recognition in a creative and playful way. They can unwrap each meteor they uncover and work on ordering numbers too.

Numicon bubbles
This is such a fun way to explore numicon pieces and the numbers they represent. Counting the bubbles as they are blown through each piece is exciting. Its a great way to explore the resource and work on counting skills.

Guess who
Adapting your guess who game to support numeracy is wildly fun! Replace the images of characters with some numbers. Children will need to work on their mathematical vocabulary and develop a deep understanding of numebr with this game. They will need to ask yes and no questions to determine the number. For example, is it greater than, is it an even number, can it be divided by, does it have a ten in the number etc.

Array - nbows
Arrays are a wonderfully visual way for children to explore repeated addition, multiplication and division. They are especially great to use when learning times tables. Using concrete objects such as blocks, playdough, counters can be really helpful for children and this fine motor activity including qtips and paint helps make using arrays a colourful and creative experience.

Numicon biscuits
Could there be a more fun way to explore numicon? Counting out the chocolate buttons, looking at the different shapes and colours of each piece and working out how many buttons in total we would need are all part of this numicon exploration activity.

2D bird feeder
A fun way to explore 2D shapes is to use craft sticks, peanut butter and bird food to create different 2D shape bird feeders for the garden.

Blooming numbers
Cut around some flower shapes, write numbers in the centre of the flower and fold the petals inwards to conceal the centre. Place the flowers in shallow water and watch them bloom and open to reveal each number.

Number flowers
Can children create each number flower by finding all of the corresponding number petals. This is a great activity to demonstrate how number can be represented in so many different ways.

Building bonds
A really easy, simple activity to set up to support number bond exploration. It could easily be used for place value or composition of numbers too. Dry erase pen wipes off building blocks easily. It's a great visual activity to reinforce those relationships between numbers.

Heading 2
Why not use some tiles to create a word search style number binds hunt.