Curriculum map

Primary Curriculum Map

The problems below have been selected because they are closely linked to the curriculum, while providing opportunities for all students to work and think like mathematicians. They have detailed Teachers' Resources offering guidance on how they can be used in the classroom.

Please email any comments to primary.nrich@maths.org.

Looking for secondary problems? See the NRICH Secondary Curriculum Map.

Key

Articles are indicated by an 'A'.

Tasks badged filled star are suitable for the whole class;
Tasks badged filled star filled star are suitable for the majority;
Tasks badged filled star filled star filled star are for those who like a serious challenge.

Highlight problems

Thinking mathematically

Mathematical mindsets

Number - Number and Place Value

EYFSYear 1Year 2Year 3Year 4Year 5Year 6Post-Primary

Counting

Say one number for each item in order: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Know that the last number reached when counting a small set of objects tells you how many there are in total ('cardinal principle')
Count objects, actions and sounds
ELG - Verbally count beyond 20, recognising the pattern of the counting system

Beat the Clock Beat the Clock

Children use everyday language to talk about time, to compare quantities and to solve problems

Tidying Tidying

When tidying away toys in this activity, children will use their counting skills to check that all the toys are in the box.

Number Book Number Book

Creating a 'Book of Four' is an opportunity for children to collect groups of four objects and consider how the groups are similar.

Counting Collections Counting Collections

In this activity, children choose collections of items to count and are supported as they find ways to keep track of, and record, their counting.

Counting Collections in the Early Years Counting Collections in the Early Years

In this article for practitioners, Cath Gripton and Deliah Pawluch explore the 'counting collections' approach, which encourages children to spend time playing and experimenting with counting.

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Incey Wincey Incey Wincey

In this game, children roll the dice and count how many steps to move the spider up or down the drainpipe.

Count to and across 100, forwards and backwards, beginning with 0 or 1, or from any given number
 
 
 
Count backwards through zero to include negative numbers
Interpret negative numbers in context, count forwards and backwards with positive and negative whole numbers, including through zero
Swimming Pool filled star Swimming Pool

In this problem, we're investigating the number of steps we would climb up or down to get out of or into the swimming pool. How could you number the steps below the water?

Sea Level filled star Sea Level

What numbers would you put on this number line as it goes under the sea level?

More Tug of War filled star More Tug of war

In this game, you can add, subtract, multiply or divide the numbers on the dice. Which will you do so that you get to the end of the number line first?

Use negative numbers in context, and calculate intervals across zero
First Connect Three filled star First Connect Three

Add or subtract the two numbers on the spinners and try to complete a row of three. Are there some numbers that are good to aim for?

 
Count, read and write numbers to 100 in numerals; count in multiples of twos, fives and tens
Writing Digits filled star Writing Digits

Lee was writing all the counting numbers from 1 to 20. She stopped for a rest after writing seventeen digits. What was the last number she wrote?

Grouping Goodies filled starfilled starfilled star Grouping Goodies

Pat counts her sweets in different groups and both times she has some left over. How many sweets could she have had?

Same Length Trains filled star Same Length Trains

How many trains can you make which are the same length as Matt's and Katie's, using rods that are identical?

Biscuit Decorations filled star Biscuit Decorations

Andrew decorated 20 biscuits to take to a party. He lined them up and put icing on every second biscuit and different decorations on other biscuits. How many biscuits weren't decorated?

Number Match filled star Number match

Can you work as a group to match these numbers?

Shut the Box filled star Shut the box

An old game with lots of arithmetic!

Count in steps of 2, 3, and 5 from 0, and in tens from any number, forward or backward
Buzzy Bee filled star Buzzy Bee

Buzzy Bee was building a honeycomb. She decorated the honeycomb with a pattern using numbers. Can you discover Buzzy's pattern and fill in the empty cells for her?

Five Steps to 50 filled star Five Steps to 50

Use five steps to count forwards or backwards in 1s or 10s to get to 50. What strategies did you use?

Count from 0 in multiples of 4, 8, 50 and 100
 
Count in multiples of 6, 7, 9, 25 and 1000
Count Me In filled star Count Me In

How do you know whether you will reach these numbers when you count in steps of six from zero?

Count forwards or backwards in steps of powers of 10 for any given number up to 1000000
 
 
 
Given a number, identify one more and one less
 
 
Find 10 or 100 more or less than a given number
 
Find 1000 more or less than a given number
 
 
 

Comparing Numbers

Compare quantities using language: 'more than', 'fewer than'
ELG - Compare quantities up to 10 in different contexts, recognising when one quantity is greater than, less than or the same as the other quantity
Estimation Station Estimation Station

This activity involves filling a jar with small objects to encourage estimation and counting skills.

The Voting Station The Voting Station

This task encourages children to count and compare numbers when using 'voting bricks' to vote for a book at story time.

Use the language of: equal to, more than, less than (fewer), most, least
All Change filled star All Change

There are three versions of this challenge. The idea is to change the colour of all the spots on the grid. Can you do it in fewer throws of the dice?

Dotty Six filled star Dotty Six

Dotty Six is a simple dice game that you can adapt in many ways.

Making Sticks filled starfilled star Making Sticks

Kimie and Sebastian were making sticks from interlocking cubes and lining them up. Can they make their lines the same length? Can they make any other lines?

Robot Monsters filled star Robot Monsters

Use these head, body and leg pieces to make Robot Monsters which are different heights.

Compare and order numbers from 0 up to 100; use <, > and = signs
Next Domino filled star Next Domino

Which comes next in each pattern of dominoes?

That Number Square filled star That number square

Exploring the structure of a number square: how quickly can you put the number tiles in the right place on the grid?

100 Square Jigsaw filled star 100 Square Jigsaw

Can you complete this jigsaw of the 100 square?

Compare and order numbers up to 1000
 
Order and compare numbers beyond 1000
 
Read, write, order and compare numbers to at least 1000000 and determine the value of each digit (appears also in Reading and Writing Numbers)
 
Read, write, order and compare numbers up to 10000000 and determine the value of each digit (appears also in Reading and Writing Numbers)
 
Understand the 'one more than/one less than' relationship between consecutive numbers
Number Rhymes Number Rhymes

In this activity, the rhyme 'Ten Green Bottles' is used to encourage children to count backwards to work out how many bottles are left.

Using Books: Maisy Goes Camping Using books: Maisy Goes Camping

The book 'Maisy Goes Camping' introduces children to the idea of using the size and number of objects to work out how many will fit in a 'tent'.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Identifying, Representing and Estimating Numbers

ELG - Have a deep understanding of number to 10, including the composition of each number
ELG - Subitise (recognise quantities without counting) up to 5
Hidden Jewels Hidden Jewels

In this 'hide and reveal' game, children are encouraged to say the number of gems without counting them.

Number Talks Number Talks

In this task, children have the opportunity to talk about what they see when they look at a number representation.

Subitising Subitising

In this article for EY practitioners, Dr Sue Gifford outlines what we mean by subitising and how we can teach it.

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Identify and represent numbers using objects and pictorial representations including the number line
All Change filled star All Change

There are three versions of this challenge. The idea is to change the colour of all the spots on the grid. Can you do it in fewer throws of the dice?

Dotty Six filled star Dotty Six

Dotty Six is a simple dice game that you can adapt in many ways.

Eightness of Eight filled star Eightness of Eight

What do you see as you watch this video? Can you create a similar video for the number 12?

Identify, represent and estimate numbers using different representations, including the number line
How Would We Count? filled star How would we count?

An activity centred around observations of dots and how we visualise number arrangement patterns.

Count the Crayons filled star Count the Crayons

How could you estimate the number of pencils/pens in these pictures?

Tug of War filled star Tug of War

Can you use the numbers on the dice to reach your end of the number line before your partner beats you?

How Many? filled star How Many?

Have a look at these photos of different fruit. How many do you see? How did you count?

Identify, represent and estimate numbers using different representations
 
Identify, represent and estimate numbers using different representations
Representing Numbers filled star Representing Numbers

Find as many different ways of representing this number of dots as you can.

 
 

Reading and Writing Numbers (including Roman Numerals)

Experiment with their own symbols and marks as well as numerals
Link the number symbol (numeral) with its cardinal number value
Dice Dice

This dice activity encourages children to relate the number on the dice to the number of teddies they need to choose.

Show Me Show Me

In this task, children will learn different ways of representing the same number.

Owl's Packing List Owl's Packing List

In this activity, children can practise reading numbers and counting items in order to help Owl pack for his holiday.

Golden Beans Golden Beans

This task provides children with an opportunity to count 'golden beans' and find a number card to represent how many they have.

Read and write numbers from 1 to 20 in numerals and words
 
Read and write numbers to at least 100 in numerals and in words
 
Read and write numbers up to 1000 in numerals and in words
 
 
Read, write, order and compare numbers to at least 1000000 and determine the value of each digit (appears also in Comparing Numbers)
 
Read, write, order and compare numbers up to 10000000 and determine the value of each digit (appears also in Understanding Place Value)
 
 
 
 
 
Read Roman numerals to 100 (I to C) and know that over time, the numeral system changed to include the concept of zero and place value
 
Read Roman numerals to 1000 (M) and recognise years written in Roman numerals
Roman Numerals filled star Roman Numerals

Can you find some examples when the number of Roman numerals is fewer than the number of Arabic numerals for the same number?

 

Understanding Place Value

 
 
Recognise the place value of each digit in a two-digit number (tens, ones)
6 Beads filled starfilled star 6 Beads

If you put three beads onto a tens/ones abacus you can make the numbers 3, 30, 12 or 21. What numbers can be made with six beads?

Two-Digit Targets filled star Two-digit targets

You have a set of the digits from 0 to 9. Can you arrange these in the five boxes to make two-digit numbers as close to the targets as possible?

Digit Addition filled star Digit Addition

Try out this number trick. What happens with different starting numbers? What do you notice?

Snail One Hundred filled star Snail One Hundred

In this game, you throw a dice and move counters along the snail's body and in a spiral around the snail's shell. It is about understanding tens and ones.

Number Detective filled star Number Detective

Follow the clues to find the mystery number.

Recognise the place value of each digit in a three-digit number (hundreds, tens, ones)
Which Scripts? filled star Which Scripts?

There are six numbers written in five different scripts. Can you sort out which is which?

Coded Hundred Square filled star Coded hundred square

This 100 square jigsaw is written in code. It starts with 1 and ends with 100. Can you build it up?

Recognise the place value of each digit in a four-digit number (thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones)
Four-Digit Targets filled star Four-digit targets

You have two sets of the digits 0-9. Can you arrange these in the five boxes to make four-digit numbers as close to the target numbers as possible?

Nice or Nasty filled star Nice or Nasty

There are nasty versions of this dice game but we'll start with the nice ones...

The Thousands Game filled star The Thousands Game

Each child in Class 3 took four numbers out of the bag. Who had made the highest even number?

The Deca Tree filled star The Deca Tree

Find out what a Deca Tree is and then work out how many leaves there will be after the woodcutter has cut off a trunk, a branch, a twig and a leaf.

Read, write, order and compare numbers to at least 1000000 and determine the value of each digit
 
Read, write, order and compare numbers up to 10000000 and determine the value of each digit
 

Rounding

 
 
 
 
Round any number to the nearest 10, 100 or 1000
Reasoned Rounding filled star Reasoned Rounding

Four strategy dice games to consolidate pupils' understanding of rounding.

Round any number up to 1000000 to the nearest 10, 100, 1000, 10000 and 100000
 
Round any whole number to a required degree of accuracy
Round the Three Dice filled star Round the Three Dice

What happens when you round these three-digit numbers to the nearest 100?

Problem Solving

Solve real world mathematical problems with numbers up to 5
Mathematical Problem Solving in the Early Years: Developing Opportunities, Strategies and Confidence Mathematical problem solving in the early years: developing opportunities, strategies and confidence

In this article for Early Years practitioners, Dr Sue Gifford outlines ways to develop children's problem-solving strategies and confidence in problem solving.

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Mathematical Problem Solving in the Early Years Mathematical Problem Solving in the Early Years

This article describes how the NRICH Early Years resources aim to further develop young children's natural problem-solving abilities in the context of mathematics.

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The Box Game The Box Game

In this game, children will use their addition and subtraction skills to keep track of the number of toys hidden inside a box.

 
Use place value and number facts to solve problems
Round the Two Dice filled star Round the Two Dice

This activity focuses on rounding to the nearest 10.

I Like ... filled star I Like ...

Mr Gilderdale is playing a game with his class. What rule might he have chosen? How would you test your idea?

Light the Lights filled starfilled star Light the Lights

Investigate which numbers make these lights come on. What is the smallest number you can find that lights up all the lights?

Largest Even filled star Largest Even

How would you create the largest possible two-digit even number from the digit I've given you and one of your choice?

Solve number problems and practical problems involving these ideas
Number Differences filled star Number Differences

Place the numbers from 1 to 9 in the squares below so that the difference between joined squares is odd. How many different ways can you do this?

Magic Vs filled star Magic Vs

Can you put the numbers 1-5 in the V shape so that both 'arms' have the same total?

Solve number and practical problems that involve all of the above and with increasingly large positive numbers
 
Solve number problems and practical problems that involve all of the above
Less is More filled star Less is More

Use your knowledge of place value to try to win this game. How will you maximise your score?

Solve number and practical problems that involve all of the above
Number Lines in Disguise filled starfilled star Number Lines in Disguise

Some of the numbers have fallen off Becky's number line. Can you figure out what they were?

Round the Four Dice filled star Round the Four Dice

This activity involves rounding four-digit numbers to the nearest thousand.