Unlocking Math Magic: The Power of Number Sense
And a fun solo bonus activity to get them thinking flexibly to beat the deck!
“When you have mastered numbers, you will in fact no longer be reading numbers, any more than you read words when reading books. You will be reading meanings.”
You know that friend or colleague who seems to have a natural knack for numbers? They can estimate grocery bills with uncanny accuracy, solve problems in their head faster than a calculator, and never seem fazed by a math quiz. What's their secret? It's a powerful ability called Number Sense.
Number Sense isn't some magical talent, and it’s not just for ‘math people.’ We are ALL math people when we build our number sense, because it’s a set of skills that help us understand numbers on a deeper level, not just memorize them like yesterday's lunch order. Imagine numbers as ingredients in a recipe. Number Sense is like really understanding how the ingredients work together, how much of each you need, and how to use them to create something delicious (mathematically speaking!).
Here's why Number Sense is the foundation of math confidence:
Estimation All-Stars: Number Sense lets you be an estimation champion. Do you know if you have enough for that ice cream cone without counting your change? Estimation is like making a smart guess using what you know about numbers, and it comes in handy everywhere, from shopping to figuring out how long it takes to get somewhere.
Problem-Solving Detectives: Number Sense helps you see the relationships between numbers. Instead of feeling lost in a word problem, you can break it down into smaller pieces, recognize patterns, and use different strategies to solve it. When we see learners sharing and comparing how they thought about and solved a problem – and understanding someone else’s approach to the problem – we are seeing number sense grow before our eyes!
Number Gymnastics: With Number Sense, numbers become less intimidating and more like building blocks you can work with. You can compare them, take them apart, and put them back together flexibly.
So, how do you unlock this secret sauce and help learners become masters of number sense?
Game On!: Playing number games is a fun way to build your skills. Board games, card games, even online brain teasers – anything that involves counting, adding, or subtracting gets your brain thinking flexibly about numbers. Playing with numbers in a low-stakes, engaging setting helps to build confidence and competence with math!
The World is Your Math Playground: Look for numbers in everyday life! How many cars are parked on your street? How many buttons are on your shirt? Which item on sale is a better deal? Numbers are hiding everywhere, waiting to be explored and understood.
Cooking Up Math: Baking cookies? Help out in the kitchen! Measuring ingredients, doubling a recipe – it's all about using numbers in a practical way (and maybe getting a yummy reward at the end).
Talk About Math Thinking: Talk about how each person works on a math problem, puzzle or task. If three learners are figuring how much four $23 event tickets will cost, challenge them to explain, diagram, or demonstrate their thinking. You will likely see three different ways of thinking about quantities, all arriving at the same total. Each learner builds confidence and number sense as they share their flexible thinking!
Number sense isn't about always going straight to the right answer; it's about feeling comfortable and confident with numbers. With a little practice and a playful attitude, they'll be well on their way to being ready to tackle any math challenge that comes their way!
Number sense is so important in building confident lovers-of-math, we put it right into the name of Wild Side Number Sense Cards! With visuals on the card that represent numbers and SO MANY games that deepen their ability to think of numbers flexibly, learners build strong number sense, flexible thinking, and a LOVE OF MATH!
Thank you for spreading that love of math! And as always, we would love to hear how you are using Wild Side cards with your learners and which games and activities are your favorites!
Bonus Game
Number Knockout Solitaire
A fun game to play alone - or with a little help!
(Please see skill requirements listed below. For typically developing students, this activity will work well for those at a mid-second-grade level and above)
Skills:
Adding and Subtracting Numbers to Ten and/or
Adding and Subtracting Numbers to Twenty or More and/or
Using all Four Basic Operations to Arrive at a Target Number
Materials: Cards 0-10 in all Four Colors and No Wild Cards
Number Knockout Solitaire
Note: This solitaire activity allows children to practice number sense by challenging them to use the basic operations they are familiar with (addition and subtraction for younger learners and the addition of multiplication and division for older learners) to arrive at a target number. The “targets” in this game are numbers zero through ten. Enthusiastic players may want to play until they “knock out” all numbers one through ten. For children who are more challenged by this game, they may want to “knock out” only one number each day or week. Whatever the pace, they can celebrate their accomplishments!!
Directions:
1.On a strip of paper, write numbers 0 to 10. The child will need to choose a number to “knock out.” Number can be circled for reference. Stickers or stars can be used to celebrate the knockout!
2. Shuffle deck (using numbers zero through ten and no wild cards). Deal seven cards face up in a row for the first round. The object of the game is to use ALL SEVEN CARDS to make the target number in at least one way. In other words, all seven cards need to be removed for a “knockout.” This may mean that the target number is found once using all seven cards or two or more times and removed each time it is made until all seven cards are removed. If no knockout has occurred, leave the remaining card(s) and re-deal so that seven cards are in play for the next round. EXAMPLES (using seven as the target number):
Using only addition and subtraction, cards 2, 1, 0, 7, 5, 10, and 8 are placed.
7 + 0 = 7 (remove for a first seven)
2 + 5 + 7 (remove for a second seven)
8 – 1 + 7 (remove for a third seven)
Card number 10 remains. No “Knockout” has been achieved on this round. Leave the ten on the table and deal six more cards. Time for round two! Continue playing rounds until a Knockout is achieved or all cards have been used. At this point, you may end the game or shuffle and try again!
With younger learners, be sure to coach them on how to use multiple cards to achieve a Knockout.
Example: Target number is Zero. Cards in play are 6, 2, 4, 1, 6, 7, 0
6 + 1 - 7 = 7 (remove cards), then 4 + 2 - 6 = 0 (remove cards), then remove 0 (because it is already the target number). Knockout!
NOTE: With younger children, you can make it much easier to knockout the entire row by using a Wild Card as ONE of the seven cards. Perhaps
begin with this route and, as they advance, challenge them to play the game without the help of Wild Cards. And remember, a Wild Card can only be substituted for the numbers in play. In other words, in this game, the Wild Card must be used as a number from zero to ten.
Using all four operations and the same cards 2, 1, 0, 7, 5, 10, and 8
(10 x 0) + {(8 -1) x (5 + 2)}
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7
NOTE: When playing with all operations, it is frankly easier to remove all seven cards. Challege these older learners to remove all seven cards in one series of operations. Learners at this level will use paper and pencil and their knowledge of order of operations. If your older child is up to the challenge, use only cards 1-10 (zeros reduce the challenge).
