Demystifying Math: What Is Number Sense?
What is number sense? As a teacher, I’ve been asked this question over and over again
by many parents. To answer, I talk about the importance of it and why your children
need to build strong number sense, but many parents don’t feel comfortable with the
topic. It's not a term they're familiar with or one used when they learned math. Plain and
simple, number sense is a person’s ability to understand, relate, and connect numbers.
Children with strong number sense think flexibly and fluently about numbers. They can:
Visualize and talk comfortably about numbers. Number bonds are one tool to help
them see the connections between numbers.
Take numbers apart and put them back together in different ways — e.g. breaking
the number five down several times (such as: 5+0=5; 4+1=5; 3+2=5; 2+3=5; 1+4=5;
0+5=5 and so on), which helps your children learn all the ways to make five.
Compute mentally — solving problems in their heads instead of using a paper and
pencil.
Relate numbers to real-life problems by connecting them to their everyday
world. For instance, asking how many apples they've picked at a farm. ("Andy picked 5
apples. Amanda picked 2. How many apples did they pick in all?")
Number sense is so important for your young math learners because it promotes
confidence and encourages flexible thinking. It allows your children to create a
relationship with numbers and be able to talk about math as a language. I tell my young
students, numbers are just like letters. Each letter has a sound and when you put them
together they make words. Well, every digit has a value and when you put those digits
together they make numbers!
Here are some ideas for promoting number sense in a first grader:
Estimating to bring math into your child’s everyday world. Estimate the number of
steps it takes to get from the car to the house or how many minutes you have to wait in
line at the grocery store.
Model numbers in different ways. Seeing numbers in different contexts really helps
your children connect with numbers. For example, looking at numbers in a deck of cards
or identifying numbers on dice or dominoes without counting the dots.
Visualize ways to see numbers. Every day I ask my students to visualize a number
and tell me what they see. Your child will see numbers in different ways. Celebrate all
the different ways and encourage her to think outside of the box. An eight can look like a
snake or a 10 can be thought of as a baseball and bat.
Think about math with an open mind. Instead of asking what is 6+4, ask, "What are
some ways to make 10?" This allows for more flexible thinking and builds confidence
with knowing more than one answer. Or, you can also ask “Can you make eight with
three different numbers?” or “What is 10 more than 22?”
Solve problems mentally. Instead of relying on memorization, encourage your child to
use mental math (calculating problems in his head). So, if you know 6+6=12, then you
know 6+7=13. He can use his double fact (6+6) to help find a harder fact (6+7) and build
on concepts he already knows to think about problems.
Strong number sense helps build a foundation for mathematical understanding.
Focusing on number sense in the younger grades helps build the foundation necessary
to compute and solve more complex problems in older grades. Building a love for math
in your children begins with building an understanding of numbers.
