Activities for young learners
We want every child in the UK to feel good about numbers, and have some National Numeracy Day fun at the same time!
We've got something for children at primary and secondary school so have a browse and get some confidence building activities for your children.
Below, you’ll find:
(click on the name of each section to jump down the page)
• The Number Heroes drawing competition, for ages 3-13, as well as all children and young people in receipt of SEN support or an EHCP
• Live Lesson with Times Tables Rock Stars and Mr MoneyJar, for primary schools
• Lesson plans, for ages 5-14
• Activities, for Early Years & Primary
• The Big Number Natter, for Early Years & Primary, and Secondary
• The National Numeracy Challenge, for ages 13+
Number Heroes Competition
This year our Number Heroes drawing competition returns with a brilliant brand-new theme: How do people use numbers in your neighbourhood, club or community?
We’re inviting children aged 3–13, as well as all children and young people in receipt of SEN support or an EHCP, to get creative and explore the real-life ways numbers are used all around them, from local shops and sports clubs to community groups and everyday heroes. It’s free to enter, packed with fantastic prizes for pupils and schools, and a brilliant way to spark conversations about how numbers matter in the world around us. Get ready to inspire your pupils to become our next Number Heroes!
The competition is now open! Download your worksheet, and then head to the competition webpage to submit your entries.
Live Lesson with Times Tables Rock Stars and Mr MoneyJar
Times Tables Rock Stars and Rotimi Merriman-Johnson, aka Mr MoneyJar, hosted a fun national game of ‘Would You Rather’ for primary schools, exploring savvy spending and how we make money choices in our families and communities. The lesson is around 15 minutes long.
You can watch it now!
Lesson plans
From Bobby Seagull and Susan Okereke
Bobby and Susan have created lesson plans, presentation slide decks, and short introductory videos to get your students planning the ultimate summer fete!
For ages 5-7, students can come up with activity ideas, and design their own games, to develop understanding of addition and subtraction, identifying odd and even numbers, working with money, logical reasoning, understanding “greater than” concepts and problem-solving by working with a budget.
For ages 7-11, students can 'Beat the Budget' when hiring a DJ and planning activities. Children will develop their understanding of multiplication, working with time, calculating with money, applying percentages and reasoning about best value with budgeting.
For ages 11-14, students can take on the 'Burger Boss Challenge' to develop their understanding of percentages, profit and loss calculations, proportional reasoning applied to real-world data, and financial decision-making under different scenarios.
Activities
The Big Number Natter
This activity is a way of sharing how we feel when it comes to maths and numbers. For those who struggle, this is a great first step towards feeling more confident. You can do this in small groups or whole classes, with students or staff, and they can be as formal or informal as you like.
Use our simple guide to plan your session, and the talking points to get conversations flowing.
The National Numeracy Challenge
The National Numeracy Challenge is a free and easy-to-use website you or students (recommended for ages 13+) can use to improve confidence with numbers, in your own time and at your own pace.
It adapts to the user's learning level to keep things as stress-free as possible: if you answer questions correctly the questions get harder, but if you answer incorrectly they get easier. There are two types of check: a 'quick-check' which only takes around 10 minutes and gives a rough idea of your level, and a full 'check-up' which is longer and will give a more accurate measure of your skills with areas to focus on, with tailored learning resources.
It’s ideal for brushing up, checking your level, or for catching up on learning you missed, and it’s all about the maths needed in daily life.
Please share your activity!
Be sure to tag us in any social media activity and use #NationalNumeracyDay and #BigNumberNatter so we can see and share what you're up to! You can find us on: