Best SUBITIZING Activities for Strong Number Sense!

Let’s talk SUBITIZING! Subitizing builds number sense. It is an essential number fluency skill that becomes more automatic with continued practice in kindergarten and 1st grade. Students who can automatically identify 2 on a die without counting dots are subitizing.

Why subitize?

Strong subitizing skills build number sense. That’s why we have students play games with dice, hold up fingers to show an answer, play dominos, use ten frames, and make tallies. These are all ways to practice subitizing! Looking for more ideas? Read more about Number Sense here.

Number fluency, or subitizing, is an important skill similar to sight word fluency. When sight words can be read instantly, students can read more fluently. When students can easily recognize numbers shown in different ways, they are better able to understand, compute, count, and compare numbers.

Here are just a few ways for your students to subitize!

How Do We Practice Subitizing?

Daily exposure to numbers in different forms in an organic manner is the best way to build number fluency, or subitizing skills in my opinion. One way to do that is to play simple math games! Use them at centers, in small groups, during interventions, inside recess, and whenever you have a few minutes to squeeze them in.

All of these games come with complete directions and subitizing flash cards. The flashcards can also be used alone to practice subitizing, and then later they can be added to games for additional practice with number fluency.

FREE Ten Frame Mats for YOU! – Find freebie at the end of this post

Start with the simple Ten Frame Mat with Numbers. Students select a number card and create that number 1-10 on the Ten Frame Mat using red/yellow chips! Easy Peasy!

When students are proficient with using their Ten Frame Mat with Numbers, have students begin simple addition to 10 with the Ten Frame Mat for Addition. Students draw an addition card and use red/yellow chips to show the addition problem on the Ten Frame. They then write the sum using a dry erase marker.

Just slip these Ten Frame Mats into plastic sleeves and insert red/yellow counting chips, the included flashcards, and a dry erase marker. Your number sense math center is ready to go!

Looking for more number sense activities? Check out these blog posts:

• 6 Fun Number Sense Activities to Use NOW!
• Easy Self-Checking Math Picture Puzzles + FREEBIE!
• How to Practice Essential Math Skills Daily!

Thanks for stopping by!