Model the language you want your child to use during this activity, such as more, less, add, fit, and same. Encourage them to use the word together (a key word in addition) to explain what they are doing. For example, ‘I am putting two and four together to make six.’ Numicon Shapes are a series of flat shapes which have holes in, each representing a number between 1 and 10. My three year old is not ready for this stage yet, so her big sister (age 6) had a go with me. Here are some of the activities we tried out that were most successful. These activities use resources from the 1st Steps with Numicon at Home Kit, but if you don’t own the kit you can still follow along with these free cut-out Numicon shapes. 1. Number towers

My first activity to introduce subtraction involved using a ‘feely bag’ (an big bag that you can’t see through). As with addition, it helps if your child is already familiar with Numicon shapes when you introduce the idea of subtraction because otherwise the activity might seem a bit confusing. Ask your child to find the shape that matches the pattern that is left. For example, if the original shape had a value of 6 and you held your finger over a hole, your child would need to find a shape with a value of 5.

Simply print off the Counting Numicon Shapes worksheets and cut out the Shapes for children to investigate. What are Numicon Shapes?

Have fun with your child by playing the games in this kit together and help them to thrive at the maths they’re learning in school. Designed to work both brilliantly on its own and as a natural progression from the First Steps Kit, the activities and apparatus here will build your child’s understanding of numbers to 100 and their ability to use and talk about them with confidence. You can build on this by taking away larger numbers (for example, holding your finger over two holes) when your child is confident with the process of taking away 1.

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This is a good activity to gently introduce the idea of adding two numbers together to make a bigger number. Have a go at making number towers like this: These printable Counting Numicon Shapes worksheets are perfect to use to help children with their counting skills and begin to recognise the relationship between numbers. If you’re looking for a primary maths programme that will work for children of every ability, Numicon offers a wealth of resources that can be used across EYFS, KS1, KS2, and to bridge the gap to KS3. Encourage your child to explain what is happening using mathematical language – the difference between, smaller than, leaves, equals , and so on .

On top of these quite formal activities, you can also teach your child about adding and taking away through conversation, books, play, and songs. My little girl loves singing along to the songs in the Numicon At Home kit and holding up her fingers to count along! We have tried to make these songs part of her bedtime routine to help her get used to counting. 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.The other way to explore subtraction with Numicon is by taking away part of a shape. For example, you could: Can be used flexibly alongside your existing resources, as a complete maths programme or to encourage mastery

Has been proven to have a positive impact on children’s enjoyment as well as giving them the confidence to demonstrate how and why they arrived at their answerLater 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. Based on a concrete-pictorial-abstract approach, Numicon uses structured imagery and apparatus to help children explore and understand mathematical concepts. If you're not a big fan of Numicon, you really should be! From EYFS right through to KS1 and beyond, this multi-sensory resource is the perfect tool for developing children's early maths skills, and counting abilities and introducing them to a new way of learning. You can use these printable Counting Numicon Shapes worksheets to familiarise and build knowledge of different patterns and how numbers fit together.