At Mathnasium, Number Sense Matters
What is number sense? Number sense is a mathematical skill that children begin learning well before they start school. Kids begin to formulate their number sense as a tool to prepare them to learn conventional math later in school. Overall, number sense implies a deep understanding of numbers and their relationships with each other. There are three main phases of number sense understanding: number knowledge, counting, and then arithmetic operations. Below, you’ll see what these phases entail and why we at Mathnasium of Friendswood care about making sure your child masters number sense.
Number knowledge:
One of the first explicitly mathematical things that a child learns is the naming of numbers. Toddlers learn how to count to three, then maybe five, then ten. To have number sense, a child needs to know what the numbers are, what they represent, and their sequence. Knowing the sequence of number words forward and backward are important for this component of number sense. Children should be able to understand the magnitude of numbers and be able to compare them. A child needs number knowledge as a stepping stone to more complicated concepts in math.
Counting:
The second component of number sense involves systematic counting. Counting proficiency not only builds on a child’s understanding of number sequence, but it allows children to learn patterns. For example, counting by tens shows a child that four tens are forty. Counting leads to a firm understanding of “place” value (e.g. tens, hundreds, thousands, etc.) Finally, counting skills enable children to estimate more confidently.
Arithmetic operations:
As a child becomes more adept at counting and the implications of those skills, they will begin to master basic arithmetic operations. Breaking a number down and putting it back together in another way helps students visualize all of the different ways to arrive at a sum. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are the basics of arithmetic, and a student should feel comfortable doing these basic computations mentally or with paper and pencil. With the basic foundations of arithmetic, a child with number sense can not only answer a question correctly, but they can also perform the correct strategies to do so. In short, number sense with arithmetic operations enables a student to complete math questions efficiently.
At Mathnasium, we believe that a firm foundation in number sense allows our students to learn faster and advance further in math. A thorough understanding of numerical relationships is necessary for more complex math. We make it a point to help build number sense in students who need it. Educators agree that utilizing manipulatives is one effective way to build number sense for students. Mathnasium of Friendswood has manipulatives available for students to use. We also heavily advise against calculator use for arithmetic. When a child has a comfortable understanding of numbers themselves, they become more confident and can begin to have fun with math!
Call us today at (832) 569-5073 and ask us about our programs and see how our methods can help your child build their number sense skills and math confidence at the same time!
(832) 569-5073
