Big Ideas of Number Sense
Number sense is the ability to understand the quantity of a set and the name associated with that quantity. Learn the big ideas of number sense and explore related activities, books, and resources.
Understanding Number Sense
Number is an abstract concept, and young children tend to think in concrete terms. Thanks to recent research, we now know that infants are sensitive to quantity and can make good quantity comparisons (more than, less than).
The transition from this innate, informal number knowledge to a conventional understanding of number sense is a major cognitive development that takes place gradually. It gets to the heart of a complex question: What is number sense? And why is number sense important?
Copyright: Erikson Institute’s Early Math Collaborative. Reprinted from Big Ideas of Early Mathematics: What Teachers of Young Children Need to Know (2014), Pearson Education.
The quantity of a small collection can be intuitively perceived without counting
Children are born with an ability to recognize sets of 1, 2, and 3 items, and with support, they can quickly name “how many” for collections of 4, 5, and sometimes more objects without counting one by one. This kind of visual number sense empowers children and fosters a meaningful understanding of quantity.
Quantity is an attribute of a set of objects and we use numbers to name specific quantities
Understanding of numerosity is central to number sense development. When children gain deeper knowledge of this Big Idea, they know that when number words are used to name “how many,” they describe amount, just as “red” describes color, and “hot” describes temperature.
Numbers are used in many ways, some more mathematical than others
At some point in their math development, children will begin to understand that numbers are not always for counting or telling “how many.” Awareness of this fact helps children sort out the confusing varieties of number-related input they receive in their daily life.
Explore Books & Resources Related to Number Sense
Children in a math-rich early childhood classroom will have many experiences working with number sense, including having early learning and preschool books that explore number sense. By focusing book choices so that they illustrate the central concepts, teaching about number can be part of a rich diet of meaningful activities that help children develop a solid and useful number sense.
Big Ideas of Early Mathematics
What Teachers of Young Children Need to Know
The Big Ideas that convey the core concepts of mathematics are at the heart of this book that gives early childhood educators the skills they need to organize for mathematics teaching and learning during the early years.
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