Ideas for Primary Numeracy Activities

Primary numeracy is the basic concept of numbers, which is vital in a student's math career. By using games and other teaching tools, you can build a solid foundation in numeracy that will benefit the students for many years to come.

Discussion

Start a discussion about numbers. Allow the children to ask any questions they have. Ask questions related to numbers including how they use numbers on a daily basis. Instruct the children to raise their hand for everything you say that pertains to their day. For instance, ask the children who used numbers this morning or who used numbers last night. Have some of the students share specific examples.

Counting

Give the students 10 of the same item, whether it is a set of blocks, a set of crayons or paperclips. Name a number for the children to count to using the items. Help the children to count to the number by doing the activity yourself and counting along with them. Once the pupils are more familiarized with counting the objects, allow them to complete the task on their own and just look to make sure they are doing it correctly.

Labeling Activity

Print out pictures of a particular item or subject. If the class is reading a book about cats, create a set of 10 cats. Make dotted lines on each cat to write out the numbers from one to 10. Have the class draw each number using the dotted line, and then direct the children to line them up in the correct order.

Candy Activity

Buy the large bags of skittles or M&Ms. Fill up a plastic cup with the candies for each student. Tell the students to sort the candies by color and count how many are in each color. Students should work in pairs and tell their partner which color was more than the other. For instance, he or she should state if there are more red than yellow. Students should make comparisons of which one has more at least six times.