Numicon guide for parents
Numicon is effective, fun and used in schools everywhere. Numicon at Home is available to help you support your child with the maths they learn in school, succeed and enjoy it. You can find out more about it here.
What is Numicon? | Videos | Activity sheets | More maths help | Numicon at Home kits
What is Numicon?
Numicon is an approach to teaching maths that helps your child to see connections between numbers. From Oxford University Press, it supports your child as they learn early maths skills in nursery and primary school. It is a multi-sensory way of learning, which means your child learns by seeing and feeling.
Physical resources like the colourful Numicon Shapes are an important part of Numicon. The holes in the Numicon Shapes represent the numbers 1 to 10. When they are arranged in order, as in the picture below, children can easily see connections between numbers, such as ‘one more’ or ‘one less’.
Later on, your child will be able to see more complex mathematical ideas, like how two fours make eight, three twos make six, and so on. This lays the foundation for their understanding of number all the way through school.
Numicon is often taught in primary schools as a whole-school programme, meaning it is their main way of teaching maths. Teachers use worksheets, physical shapes, online activities, and more to teach using Numicon. As well as mainstream maths teaching, Numicon is also sometimes used as an intervention programme to help children struggling with maths.
If your child’s school uses Numicon, they may hold workshops to tell you how it is used in the classroom, and you can always ask your child’s teacher if you have any questions.
Can I use Numicon at home?
There are lots of ways you can help your child learn with Numicon at home. Watch our Numicon videos, browse our selection of Numicon at Home kits or download our free Numicon activity sheets, to find inspiration.
Numicon activity sheets
Don’t have Numicon shapes at home? Print and cut out these free Numicon shapes.
You can also try this free paper version of the Numicon baseboard with Numicon Shapes.
Download and print out these free Numicon worksheets to practise maths skills with your child. You’ll find helpful tips on how to extend many of these activities on our Numicon activities: partner videos playlist.
Activities for ages 4–7 (Reception to Year 2)
Calculate: Outdoors 1
Age 4–7 | Reception–Year 2
Collect objects outside and practise calculating.
Patterns: Wrapping paper
Age 4–7 | Reception–Year 2
Create colourful patterns with the Numicon shapes.
Place value: Spot the number
Age 5–6 | Year 1
Build numbers from 20-100 and understand place value with tens and ones. Watch: Explore place value with Numicon.
Odd and even
Age 5–6 | Year 1
Recognise and understand odd and even numbers. Watch: Odd and even numbers.
Position, direction, and movement: Maps and direction
Age 5–6 | Year 1
Practise following directions and learn left from right. Watch: Position, direction and movement.
Flowers
Age 5–7 | Year 1 & 2
Cut out the flowers and try adding and sorting.
Spring animals 1
Age 5–7 | Year 1 & 2
Practise number skills and using comparison words.
Camping conundrum 1
Age 5–7 | Years 1 & 2
A fun activity to help develop problem-solving skills.
Getting familiar with Numicon Shapes: Star numbers
Age 6–7 | Year 2
Practise using Numicon shapes and recognise patterns in the shapes. Watch: Numicon shapes.
Equivalence: Train dominoes
Age 6–7 | Year 2
Understand that ‘equivalence’ means ‘equal value’. Watch: Explore equivalence with Numicon.
Measurement: Caterpillar lengths
Age 6–7 | Year 2
Compare the lengths of shapes and use ‘<' and '>‘ symbols. Watch: Explore measurement with Numicon.
Activities for ages 7–9 (Years 3 & 4)
Rounding: Running track
Age 7–8 | Year 3
Look for and recognise patterns in numbers. Watch: Explore rounding with Numicon.
Multiplication: Frog hop
Age 7–8 | Year 3
Recognise numbers that are multiples of 2 and multiples of 10. Watch: Multiplication with Numicon.
Grid references: Battleshapes
Age 7–8 | Year 3
Use grid references to describe positions and find shapes. Watch: Grid references with Numicon.
Symmetry: Outdoors 2
Age 7–9 | Years 3 & 4
Learn about symmetry and shapes using leaves.
Camping conundrum 2
Age 7–9 | Years 3 & 4
A fun activity to help develop problem-solving skills.
Spring animals 2
Age 7–9 | Years 3 & 4
Practise making 20 from 2s, 4s, and 6s.
Multiples: Multiple link
Age 8–9 | Year 4
Use your knowledge of sequences of multiples to find common multiples. Watch: Explore multiples with Numicon.
Introducing decimals: Milk round
Age 8–9 | Year 4
Practise writing and saying decimal fractions (decimal numbers). Watch: Decimals with Numicon.
Perimeter and area: Help the baker
Age 8–9 | Year 4
Practise finding the perimeter of different shapes. Watch: Explore perimeter with Numicon.
Activities for ages 9–11 (Years 5 & 6)
Spring animals 3
Age 9–11 | Years 5 & 6
Practise using fractions, decimals and percentages.
Camping conundrum 3
Age 9–11 | Years 5 & 6
A fun activity to help develop problem-solving skills.
Percentages: Mixed materials
Age 9–10 | Year 5
Understand percentage as the number of parts per hundred. Watch: Explore percentages with Numicon.
Working with numbers up to 1,000,000: Charity fundraising
Age 9–10 | Year 5
Practise making, reading, and saying numbers in the millions. Watch: Large numbers with Numicon.
Reflective symmetry: Reflected designs
Age 10–11 | Year 6
Practise using coordinates to describe the position of points on a design. Watch: Explore symmetry with Numicon.
Negative numbers: Shape-man
Age 10–11 | Year 6
Add and subtract large numbers, crossing zero into negative numbers. Watch: Explore negative numbers with Numicon.
Multiplying and dividing fractions: Yoghurt robot
Age 10–11 | Year 6
Practise multiplying fractions using a diagram. Watch: Multiplying and dividing fractions.
Volume and scaling: Curious cuboids
Age 10–11 | Year 6
Practise finding the volume of cuboids. Watch: Volume and scaling with Numicon.
More maths help
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- Find more tips on helping your child learn maths on our Maths pages
- Get times tables advice on our Help with times tables page
- Discover downloadable and interactive maths activities for ages 3–11
- For maths video support, visit our Maths YouTube playlist
To purchase the Numicon First Steps Kit or Next Steps Kit take a look at our Numicon at Home Kits.