Number Sense Cards

$9.99

Seven can be seven dots, a ten-frame with three empty spaces, a cluster of tally marks, or the numeral 7. When children see that all of these mean the same thing, numbers start to make sense. That’s what these cards are for.

Our 55-card deck shows the values 0 to 10 in several different ways, so your child builds a flexible feel for numbers instead of simply memorizing them. The cards grow with your learner, from first counting games at age 3 through adding and subtracting in the early elementary years.

What’s in the deck

Number cards: the written numeral, connected to its quantity
Ten-frame cards: quantities arranged on a ten-frame
Dot cards: arrangements children learn to recognize at a glance
Tally cards: another way to see each value, in groups of five
Symbol cards: +, −, =, <, and >
Task cards: simple games to get you started right out of the box

24 ways to play
Math education researcher Dr. Chepina Rumsey created 24 games for the deck, including Memory Match, Number War, Go Fish to 10, and Quick Look. Most take under ten minutes, there’s no order to work through, and each one is easy to make simpler or more challenging for your child. You’ll find all 24 below, plus videos of Dr. Rumsey playing with her daughter.

At a glance

55 cards representing values 0 to 10
For ages 3 to 8
Included in Meadowlark Kindergarten Math, and great on its own
A few games also use linking cubes or a die

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Meadowlark Kindergarten Math

A 55-card deck built to make numbers make sense — plus 24 ways to play with them, from a math education researcher.

Dr. Chepina Rumsey

Professor of Mathematics Education

What is number sense?

Number sense is much more than counting. It is a child's ability to understand what numbers mean, recognize quantities, compare amounts, see patterns, and think flexibly about how numbers work together.

Research consistently shows that strong number sense is one of the best predictors of later success in mathematics.

It forms the foundation for addition, subtraction, place value, and problem-solving. Rather than memorizing facts in isolation, children with strong number sense develop an intuitive understanding of numbers that helps them approach new math concepts with confidence.

The best way to build number sense is through frequent, playful experiences that encourage children to explore, notice, discuss, and manipulate numbers in meaningful ways. This is why we created Meadowlark's Number Sense Cards.

The Meadowlark Number Sense Cards box beside a fanned-out deck of cards — Fifty-five cards, built to be handled, sorted, and played with.

Meadowlark's Number Sense Cards

Our Number Sense Cards are designed to grow with your learner — from their very first experiences with numbers through the early elementary years. The set includes multiple card types that represent the values 0–10 in a variety of meaningful ways, helping children build flexible thinking instead of simply memorizing numbers.

55Cards in the deck

0–10Values represented

3–8Ages

24Games included

The full set of Number Sense Cards spread out by type: numerals, ten-frames, tallies, dots, symbols, and task cards — The whole deck, sorted by card type.

Number cards

The written numeral, so children connect the symbol to the quantity.

Ten-frame cards

Quantities arranged in a ten-frame — the workhorse of early fluency.

Dot cards

Arrangements children learn to recognize at a glance, without counting.

Tally cards

Another way to see the same value, reinforcing groups of five.

Symbol cards

Plus, minus, equals, less than, and greater than (+, −, =, <, >).

Task cards

Simple games and activities to get you started right out of the box.

The number seven shown four ways: as dots, on a ten-frame, as tally marks, and as the numeral 7 — The same seven, four different ways. This is what flexible thinking about numbers looks like.

While these cards are an essential part of the Meadowlark Kindergarten Math curriculum, they also stand alone as a versatile learning tool for children ages 3–8. Every activity can be easily adapted to different ability levels, making the cards just as useful for introducing number concepts as they are for reinforcing more advanced skills.

See it in action

Dr. Rumsey plays three of the games with her daughter, so you can see what they look like in practice before you try them yourself.

1:03

Memory Match

Turning over two cards at a time to find values that match.

2:46

Add to 20

Drawing ten-frame cards and building a linking-cube tower toward 20.

1:44

Guess the Number

Using an imaginary number line to narrow in on a mystery number.

24 ways to play

Below are the games we reach for most. Start anywhere — there's no order to work through, and most take under ten minutes.

A game of Memory Match in progress: a grid of face-down cards with a 10 card and a tally card turned face up — Memory Match, mid-game — ten tallies and the numeral 10. That's a keeper.

Counting & quantity Comparing & ordering Adding & subtracting Composing & decomposing

Counting & quantity

Memory Match

You'll need: 2 types of cards (e.g. number and ten-frame)

Put all cards face down in a grid. Take turns choosing two cards and see if their values match. If they match, keep them. If they do not match, put them back where they were.

Composing & decomposing

Memory Match to 10

You'll need: 2 or 3 types of cards (number, dots, ten-frames)

Put all cards face down in a grid. Take turns choosing two cards and see if they equal 10 when added together. If they equal 10, keep them. If not, put them back where they were.

ChallengeChoose a different number for the sum. Or allow three cards to have a sum of 10.

Composing & decomposing

How Many to 10?

You'll need: Ten-frame cards

Hold up a card and ask, “How many do I need to get to 10?”

ChallengeUse different types of card, such as tallies, numbers, or dots.

Counting & quantity

Card Sort

You'll need: All cards

Sort the cards in any way that makes sense to you — by type, by value, by color, or by a rule your learner invents.

Counting & quantity

Number Towers

You'll need: Number cards, linking cubes

Shuffle the number cards. Draw a card. Make a tower with linking cubes to match the number on the card.

Composing & decomposing

Mystery Number Bond

You'll need: Number cards

One partner makes a number bond on the floor, putting two cards in the number bond “parts.” The other partner finds the “whole.” Take turns building the number bond and solving it.

ChallengePut two cards in different places, not just the two parts. Or put just one card down and fill in the rest.

Comparing & ordering

Number War

You'll need: All cards (remove task and symbol cards)

Shuffle all cards and separate them into two piles. Each player draws the top card from their pile and sets it face up in the “war zone” between them. Whoever has the card with the greater value keeps both cards.

War: If both cards are of equal value, both players draw 3 more cards face-down into the war zone. Then both players draw one more card. The highest value keeps all of the cards in the war zone.

Variation — Addition WarSame rules as regular War, but for every face-up card you draw, add 1 and say the new total. Try +2, −1, or +10 as well.

Adding & subtracting

Cards Plus or Minus 1

You'll need: Ten-frame cards, a bag of loose red and blue linking cubes

Shuffle the cards and set them in a face-down pile. Draw a card and set it face-up. Draw a linking cube from the bag. If it is red, subtract 1 from the amount on the card. If it is blue, add 1 to the amount on the card.

VariationsTry ±2, ±10, or any other fact you're working on.

Adding & subtracting

Adding Cards and Dice

You'll need: Ten-frame cards and 1 die (any kind)

Shuffle the cards and set them in a face-down pile. Draw a card and roll the die, then add the two amounts. You can use linking cubes or count on from the ten-frame amount.

ChallengeShuffle other card types into the deck.

Counting & quantity

Go Fish

You'll need: All cards (remove task and symbol cards)

Shuffle and deal 5 cards to each player, then place the remaining cards in a face-down pile in the center. Players can set their cards face-up in front of them, or keep them private in their hand for older players.

Have everyone look in their hand for pairs with matching values, keeping pairs together and separate from the rest of the hand. Players take turns asking another player for a card that matches the value of one in their hand — “Do you have a 7?” If the player has the card, they hand it over. If not, they say “Go fish!” and the player draws one card from the pile. Keep matching until all cards have been paired. The player with the most matches wins.

SimplifyUse only cards with values 0–5.

Composing & decomposing

Go Fish to 5 or 10

You'll need: 2 or 3 types of cards (tallies, numbers, ten-frames)

Play as in Go Fish, but instead of matching values, players look for pairs that add up to the given number — 5 or 10. Players take turns asking another player for a card that would add to one of theirs to make the target number. If a player has a 3, they would ask, “Do you have a 7?” The player with the most matches wins.

ChallengeAllow for 2 or 3 addends in a set that equal 10 — for example 2, 4, 4.

Counting & quantity

Movement

You'll need: 1–3 types of cards, slips of paper

On several small slips of paper, write action words like hop, stomp, clap, spin, big steps, or jumping jacks. Shuffle the action words in a pile and shuffle the cards in a face-down pile. Pick a Number Sense card and an action card, then do that many of the action — for example, three jumping jacks.

Comparing & ordering

Same and Different

You'll need: All sets, but only numbers 1–3

Shuffle the cards and draw 2. Put them next to each other and find ways that they are the same and different — number, representation, more than 2, and so on.

Comparing & ordering

Compare

You'll need: 2 sets of cards, symbol cards

Shuffle the cards and draw 2. Decide which symbol to put between them: <, >, or =.

Adding & subtracting

Add to 20

You'll need: Ten-frame cards, linking cubes

Pick a card and add that many to a tower of linking cubes or other objects. The first person to get to 20 (or more than 20) wins.

ExtensionUse number cards instead of ten-frames.

Adding & subtracting

Subtract to 0

You'll need: Ten-frame cards, linking cubes

Start with a tower of 20 cubes or 20 objects. Pick a card and take that many away from the tower. The first person to get to 0 (or less than 0) wins.

ExtensionUse number cards instead of ten-frames.

Comparing & ordering

Order Cards

You'll need: 1 type of cards

Put the cards in order from least to greatest, left to right. You can also hang them from a string with clothes pins to make a number line.

Comparing & ordering

Guess the Number

You'll need: Number cards

Pick a number that the partner will guess. As they guess a number, put that number down on an imaginary number line, with relative spacing (leaving spaces for missing cards and the mystery number). The location of the cards can be a clue to help the partner guess the number.

Comparing & ordering

Secret Number

You'll need: Any card

Pick a random Number Sense card and hold it over your head without looking, facing out so your learner can see it. Ask for a few clues: What number is before or after my number? Is my number greater than or less than 5? Than your age? Then trade with your learner so they can ask you clues about their secret number.

Comparing & ordering

Mix Them Up

You'll need: Number cards

Shuffle the number cards and line them up. Have your learner race to put them in the correct order.

ChallengeThey may only swap two cards at a time.

Comparing & ordering

Missing Number

You'll need: Number cards

Line up the cards in order from 0–10. When your learner is not looking, remove one card from the line. Have your learner look at the cards and call out the missing number.

ChallengeSwap 2 cards while your learner is not looking, and have them identify the numbers you swapped.

Counting & quantity

Quick Look

You'll need: Dot cards

Shuffle the dot cards. Draw one card face up. Have your learner look at the card for 2 seconds, then flip the card face down. Have your learner say how many dots they saw.

ExtensionAsk them how they pictured the card. Turn it face up and talk about what they noticed about the way the dots were arranged.

Adding & subtracting

Equations

You'll need: Number cards, symbol cards (+, −, =), linking cubes

Set out the symbol cards to make an equation, leaving spaces between each card. Shuffle the number cards, draw 2, and set them into the equation — for example, 2 + 3 =. Build the equation with linking cubes and call out the sum or difference.

ChallengeWrite the answer on a whiteboard.

Counting & quantity

Stack 'Em Up

You'll need: All cards (remove task and symbol cards)

Pull out the number cards and set them in order, 0–10. Shuffle the remaining cards. Take turns drawing a card and finding which number it belongs to. Slide the card under the number card, so the numeral stays visible as its stack rises.

The Number Sense Cards box on a wooden table beneath a small painting of a wildflower meadow

Bring the cards home

Number Sense Cards are included in the Meadowlark Kindergarten Math curriculum — and they work just as well on their own for any learner ages 3–8.

Shop Kindergarten Math

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