In a kindergarten classroom at Westminster School in Atlanta, a group of young students gathered around a number board, working on a deceptively simple task: placing numbered tiles on a grid. While it looked like a basic counting game, teacher Melissa Williams was actually helping students build “number sense” - a key skill for understanding math that often goes underdeveloped. One child, for instance, placed a tile labeled “42” by first counting in tens to 40, then adding two more. This kind of flexible thinking is exactly what educators aim to foster.
Number sense includes more than counting. It’s about understanding how numbers work and relate to each other. This includes recognizing patterns, comparing quantities, spotting missing numbers in a sequence, and grasping that numerals represent actual amounts. Like phonics is to reading, number sense is to math - an essential foundation that supports everything that follows. Yet despite its importance, it often gets less attention in schools than reading.
Experts say this gap starts early. Some students arrive in kindergarten already showing advanced number skills, while others are just beginning. Unlike reading, where structured programs and teacher training are more common, math instruction (especially in early grades) tends to lack consistent support. Elementary teachers often receive less guidance in how to teach math, and interventions for struggling students are not as widely available.
Nancy Jordan, author of "Number Sense Interventions" and a professor of learning sciences at the University of Delaware, says early classrooms tend to prioritize literacy in both decoration and focus. “Often I’ll go into classrooms with literacy stuff all over the walls, but nothing in terms of numbers,” she said. She encourages teachers to find simple, everyday ways to build number sense, such as through games, number lines, and counting activities that connect informal learning to formal instruction.
Strong number sense doesn’t come naturally to every child, but it can be taught. Developing these basic math skills early can have a big impact on a child's ability to succeed in math later. Giving math the same weight as reading in the early years could help close gaps and set all students up for long-term success.
Picture: Xavy learning to count (Arcanys Early Learning Foundation)
