{"id":20680,"date":"2024-12-16T23:47:33","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T23:47:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mathsweek.ie\/2024\/?p=20680"},"modified":"2026-01-13T16:11:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T16:11:47","slug":"d17-sense-numbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mathsweek.ie\/2025\/d17-sense-numbers\/","title":{"rendered":"D17 \u2013 sense numbers"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Sense of Numbers<\/h1><\/span>
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Everyone is able to feel approximate quantities and to make simple calculations of these quantities. It doesn\u2019t matter what culture or age you\u2019re from, whether you know the names of the numbers or not. This is what we refer to as the sense of numbers.<\/p>\n

Our sense of numbers is something we all intuitively understand, even if we don\u2019t have an exact grasp on the numbers themselves. Some pupils may find counting challenging, especially when it involves exact numbers. They need to understand that 5 is different from 6 or 33 is different from 32. They understand intuitively that they are equal, so they have to embark on a learning journey to grasp that there are different numbers.<\/p>\n

Even at a young age, children can distinguish and compare two groups and know which one is bigger if the two groups are separated enough.<\/p>\n

Some studies have shown that children with a better sense of numbers are often those with a better understanding of maths. It could be because they can see the differences between numbers that are closer.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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2 activities are available below:<\/strong><\/p>\n