Engaging Activities and Resources to Build Maths Skills in Children

Using resources and manipulatives in primary maths helps children develop a secure understanding of key concepts before moving on to abstract written methods. Concrete materials including place value counters, cubes, number lines, and base ten blocks (also called dienes) can make abstract ideas visible and tangible, allowing children to explore and understand maths through hands-on experiences.

Manipulatives support children in visualising problems, developing number sense, and building confidence. For example, using counters to show addition or base ten blocks for place value helps children grasp what is actually happening in a calculation, rather than just memorising steps. Such as, what happens when I add 9 and 4? Well this makes 13. I know that 13 is made up of one ten and 3 ones and this affects where we write these digits in written methods. These tools not only help develop a student's understanding, but they also encourage discussion and reasoning, helping children explain their thinking and develop mathematical language.

As well as being a whole class, or whole group resource, these manipulatives can also help those who find maths challenging, while encouraging confident learners to make connections and try different strategies. By supporting both a student's understanding and fluency, manipulatives lay the groundwork for long-term mathematical success.

Make no mistake, using resources in maths is not just for early learners - it is a key part of building deep understanding. Far from being a waste of time, manipulatives are essential tools that help children make sense of maths and prepare them to tackle more abstract thinking as they move through their education.

This is why my teaching space is full of concrete resources that I've hoarded over my time teaching across the year groups! A fly on the wall would see me constantly dipping into my counters, lego bricks, number lines, dominoes, bead strings, numicon...the list goes on!