Comparing and ordering numbers

This article for pupils explores what makes numbers special or lucky, and looks at the numbers that are all around us every day.

Don't get rid of your old calendars! You can get a lot more mathematical mileage out of them before they are thrown away. These activities, using cut up dates from the calendar, provide numbers to practise skills that may be in need of review after a holiday break.

Once a basic number sense has developed for numbers up to ten, a strong 'sense of ten' needs to be developed as a foundation for both place value and mental calculations.