Numbers

The following activities are all designed to show how we count, write and use numbers in practical activities, while having loads of fun – the very best way to learn!

In this article:

1. Prickly numbers
2. Fruit salad
3. Number biscuits
4. Where are the mice?
5. Playground numbers
6. Circle time rhymes
7. Memory number card game

Prickly numbers

EYFS Area of learning > Mathematics > Number

Cut large numbers out of sheets of smooth sandpaper and glue to cards – A3 size is ideal. Use these cards for one-to-one work, with children asked to hunt for a particular number card from a pile or asked to trace a number with a finger; older children can try to write the number traced

An activity better suited to children not yet at the copying stage would be using paper and chunky crayons to produce rubbings of the numbers on the cards.

For a variation on this activity, try using a selection of different textured materials to make the numbers. Some ideas here could be: velvet, carpet tiles, corduroy, felt, fur fabric and little mosaic tiles. Just make sure the number’s edges are kept crisp and clear, so their shapes are easily defined. These tactile number cards work well at the early learning stage, when a more tactile approach to number recognition often proves more successful.