Early years number sense

This article for primary teachers expands on the key ideas which underpin early number sense and place value, and suggests activities to support learners as they get to grips with these ideas.

This article explores the basic foundations of number sense and outlines relevant research in this area.

Helen Joyce interviews the neuropsychologist Brian Butterworth whose research has shown that we are all born with a "built-in" sense of cardinal number.

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.

This article for teachers suggests teaching strategies and resources that can help to develop children's number sense.