At the beginning of the year in first grade, we spend the first several weeks exploring numbers and building number sense skills. Number Sense in first grade is so important and something we work on all year long! In this post, I’m sharing tons of hands-on activities and ideas that will engage your students in building number sense to 20 and lay a solid foundation for the year.
From ten frames to skip counting, we’ll cover it all and provide you with practical strategies for implementing these activities during your Guided Math time! šš» Plus grab a free Guided Math Launch Guide for my step-by-step process for starting Guided Math at the beginning of the year!
Math Lessons for the Beginning of the Year
Our Number Sense Math unit typically happens during the first 3 weeks of school! It is the perfect way to kick off our guided math block and build math community in our first grade classroom.
Besides teaching number sense skills, my goals for the unit are:
- āļø Develop Guided Math procedures and routines
- āļø Help students develop a math mindset and build our math community
During our unit, students learn important classroom management procedures such as sitting on the rug for our classroom mini lessons, how to turn and talk to a partner to share ideas, and how to participate in our lessons.
Our first lesson of the year is always on how in first grade, we are mathematicians. We learn about the character traits of a mathematician and brainstorm ways we can show these traits in our classroom.
Exploring Math Manipulatives
In our next mini lesson, students learn about the common math manipulatives we have in our classroom. We take some time to learn about the different types of manipulatives and how they can be used appropriately. For our guided practice time during the first week, students have the opportunity to explore and build with each of the different math manipulatives.
We always make an anchor chart to learn the procedures for using math tools appropriately! We make it together and review it each day.
Want more help Launching your math centers at the beginning of the year? Grab this free Guided Math Launch Guide!
In this guide, Iāll walk you through step by step how to start Guided Math and math centers at the beginning of the year in your classroom!
It includes:
- āļø A Guided Math Resource Library
- āļø A Breakdown of the Guided Math components
- āļø Tips to create the perfect schedule
- āļø Tips for grouping students and gathering supplies
- āļø Weekly and Daily plans for the first 3 weeks of Guided Math
- ā ļø Everything needed to establish strong routines that will last all year long!
Number Sense Mini Lessons
After these foundational lessons, we are ready to move to number sense skills! Each day, we have a short mini lesson together on the rug where we explore a number sense skill or concept. I try to keep these mini lessons between 10-15 minutes!
During our mini lessons, I love using interactive slides to teach concepts. I like having the large visuals for all students to see. We have some direct instruction and modeling along with a quick practice activity.
Number Sense Math Mats for Guided Practice and Small Groups
Math mats are my favorite for hands-on practice during small group time!
I simply print and slip them into a dry erase pocket. Then I just add manipulatives for engaging, hands-on practice of math skills. Each of my Guided Math units includes math mats so that you have low prep activities to use all year long!
Number Sense Skill #1: Ten Frames
The first number sense skill we usually work on is recognizing and building numbers on Ten Frames. These simple yet powerful tools provide a concrete representation of numbers, helping students visualize and understand quantities.
In our first lesson, we investigate what a ten frame is, how to represent numbers on ten frames, and how to look for patterns on ten frames to recognize numbers quickly!
You can see a sneak peek of the mini lesson here! š
After our mini lessons, I always like students to have some hands-on practice with the skill. Normally, we would complete our daily Guided Math Rotations and Math Centers. At the beginning of the year, before we start our rotations, I like doing whole group or partner practice activities!
For this Ten Frame Math Mat activity, I give each student a 10 Frame and counters. I put a number card under our document camera for students to see and they build it on their mat. I also use the ten frame cards to give students practice with recognizing numbers quickly! Students look at the card, say the number, then build the number on their mat!
After practicing with ten frames, we move onto building teen numbers on Twenty Frames! Eventually, once we work on skip counting by 10s, (I’ll talk more about this later!) we’ll practice counting bigger numbers on ten frames. I introduce the partner game Ten Frame Fill (you can grab it for FREE inside my Guided Math Launch Guide here!)
A few more ideas for practicing Ten Frames:
š Make a life-size Ten frame using painters tape on your classroom rug. Have students build different numbers by sitting in the Ten Frame!
š Use these magnetic ten frames to practice building numbers.
š Play Ten Frame Memory Match!
Number Sense Skill #2 Number Lines
The next skill we work on is counting and ordering numbers on a number line! Number lines are important tools that will later help us to add and subtract!
For this unit, I want students to understand:
- āļø Numbers on a number line go in order (they can’t be all mixed up!)
- āļø Numbers on a number line get bigger from left to right
During our mini lessons we practice building number lines, counting forward and backward on number lines and identifying missing numbers on number lines!
I like to introduce the concept of “hopping on a number line” This will be super helpful for students once we start our Addition Strategies Unit.
We start with number lines to 10, then move on to number lines to 20!
Students get tons of hands-on practice with number lines as well as independent practice!
I love using blank number lines (just the lines, no numbers!) for a partner activity! For this activity:
- Prepare number cards (either to 10 or 20)
- Students will choose a card and figure out where that number should go on their number line.
- Continue choosing cards until all numbers are filled in
I also love doing this Number Line Solve the Room Activity with students!
Number Sense Skill #3 Subitize
The next skill we work on is subitizing!
Subitizing is the ability to instantly recognize the quantity of a set of objects without counting. It is an important skill in early math development and building number sense. When students can subitize, they can quickly identify the number of objects in a group by relying on visual patterns or arrangements.
During our mini lesson, I explicitly model how to look for patterns to recognize the amount quickly. Then to strengthen these skills, we practice subitizing daily! Each day for a math warm up, I use these Subitizing Cards. I flash a card under our document camera and challenge students to figure out the amount. Students share their strategies.
We use our subitizing cards for lots of different hands-on activities to practice our subitizing and build number sense! Here are a few of our Subitizing activities!
Subitize and Sort:
We use these subitizing cards and mats to sort by quantity! Students choose a card and subitize. Then place the card in the correct box on the mat!
Subitize Showdown
This game is played like the war card game. Students work with a partner and quickly compare dot patterns and determine which card represents the larger number.
Subitize Solve the Room
This is the first Solve the Room activity I teach my students. This is a math center that we play all year long!
Each week I tape a new set of math task cards around the classroom. When students visit this center, they grab a clipboard and a recording sheet and walk around the classroom solving the math problems. After they finish, they visit the Grading Station and check their work! This Solve the Room Activity is a bonus activity included in my Number Sense Unit!
Number Sense Skill #4: The 120 Chart
Oh how we love the 120 chart in first grade! We use this thing DAILY to practice counting, skip counting, and understanding number patterns and relationships. While we’ll go way deeper into learning about these bigger numbers during our place value unit, for now I want students to have exposure and familiarity with this tool!
When I introduce the 120 chart to students, we explore and learn how the chart works and how it can help us! Students learn about rows and columns and look for patterns.
120 Chart Number Sense Activities
We do a ton of hands-on activities to practice with a 120 chart! I like to give each of my students their own chart to keep in their math folder. I also use 120 all the time in my small groups throughout the year!
We do things like:
- Practice counting by 1s, 5s, and 10s
- We hop forward and backward
- We count on from a given number
- Give students a manipulative (like a cube or mini eraser) and they can āhide a numberā Then their partner can figure out the hidden number
120 Chart Hidden Numbers
These hidden number activities make great math centers or math partner activities!
Roll and Race to 120
This is another math partner game I teach at the beginning of the year when launching our math centers!
I love it because it is simple, itās engaging, and students are getting number sense practice and all students need to play are dice and game pieces. You can find it for FREE inside my Guided Math Launch Guide!
120 Chart Puzzles
These differentiated 120 Chart puzzles are an amazing math center for the beginning of the year!
To make these, simply print 120 Charts on different colors of paper. Then cut the charts into pieces. Make them different levels by cutting some into smaller pieces! I like to put them in rainbow order to challenge students to complete them all!
Number Sense Skill #5 Skip Counting
After introducing the 120 Chart, we work on skip counting by 5s and 10s! Skip counting is an essential skill that helps students develop number sense and fluency in counting. By skip counting students can count larger numbers more efficiently and quickly.
Number Sense Skill #6 Number Patterns
After working on skip counting by 5s and 10s, we take this skill a step further and work on Number Patterns! Students become Number Detectives and work to solve missing number mysteries! Students figure out the rule a number pattern is following and complete the pattern by filling in a missing number.
After the mini lesson, students practice with these Number Pattern Mystery task cards!
Representing Numbers in Different Ways
To review all of the number sense skills we worked on throughout the unit, in our last lesson students become Number Sense Superheroes! They work together to represent numbers in different ways!
Number Sense Math Craft
We celebrate the end of our unit with this Superhero Number Sense Math Craft! These are perfect to display in the hallway or on a bulletin board to share learning!
I hope this post gave you tons of ideas for Number Sense activities and lessons for the beginning of the year in first grade!
