Contents
Title
Page
The Counting Stick
2
Squashy Boxes
5
Piles of Dominoes
6
Nelly Elephants
7
Sneaky Snakes
9
Data in Games
11
Day and Night Game
12
Favourite Instrument
14
2
The Counting Stick
A counting stick may be made by dividing a broom handle into ten equal sections.
Coloured tape can be used to make the sections. Alternatively counting sticks are
available to purchase from educational suppliers.
Number Strip or Number Line?
The ‘numbers’ on the counting stick can either be the whole section or the point where
the colour changes and becomes the next section. If you are using the sections as the
numbers this equates to a number strip and each number can be grabbed firmly by a
closed hand. If you use the section boundary as the numbers they become specific
points and this equates to a number line. When used in this way the teacher must point
to each number. The teacher must decide how best to use the counting stick. One
suggestion is to link the use of the counting stick to development in progressing from
number strips to number lines. Most pupils by the end of Primary 2 are familiar with a
number as a point on a line and therefore the counting stick could reflect this
development.
Advantages and Disadvantages
The Counting Stick employs a teaching stategy called UNISON RESPONSE. This has
the advantage of allowing all pupils to participate in the counting activities. It means
that the less able or less confident children can feel less pressurised than would be
the case if an individual question was posed to that pupil.
However, unison response can make it difficult for the teacher to establish if all pupils
are responding correctly.
3
Using the Counting Stick
COUNTING FORWARDS/BACKWARDS
The stick can be used simply to count forwards and backwards along the stick. Forward
counting should be from left to right as the pupils are looking at it. This will be from
the right hand side as the teacher holds the stick in front of him/her.
CHANGING PACE
The teacher can vary the pace at which the pupils count. If the counting task is
challenging, slow counting will provide additional thinking time. The teacher can
introduce a pause and continue counting or a position on the stick can be indicated by a
marker (e.g. a piece of ribbon/string, elastic band, roll of sellotape) so that the pupils
will know in advance where the pause or rest will happen and then count on to the end
of the stick.
THE BOOMERANG STICK
Place a marker at a position along the stick. Count up to the marker and back to the
start again. This is useful when beginning to work on counting backwards.
THE HICCUP STICK
The ‘Hiccup Stick’ combines counting forward and backwards. Counting takes place as
usual until a ‘hiccup’ sound is heard. On the hiccup you count back to the previous
number and then count on
e.g. counting in 2’s
2, 4, 6, 8, 10, hiccup, 8, 10, 12, etc.
THE HUSH STICK
The ‘Hush’ stick combines counting aloud with counting silently. At the ‘hush’ number
pupils continue counting but don’t say the hush number aloud
e.g. counting in 10’s
10, 20, 30, 40, hush, 60, 70, 80, hush, 100
The ‘hush’ can be indicated in a number of ways:


by using a marker to indicate the ‘hush’ position.

if using the stick as a number line then indicate a ‘hush’ position by touching the
underside of the stick.
if using the stick as a number strip then touch the section with one finger
instead of grabbing the whole section.
COUNTING USING ‘SHOW ME’ CARDS FOR RESPONSE
4
Instead of all pupils counting in unison tell the pupils the starting number and the
interval for counting on and ask them to use their show me cards for the number shown
at the marker.
A variation is to divide the class into two groups;
Group A supplies the number that comes just before the position marked.
Group B shows the number which comes just after the position marked.
PUPILS MAKING DECISIONS
On occasions allow pupils to choose the starting number and/or the interval in which to
count on instead of the teacher always directing the activity.
IDENTIFYING NUMBERS RANDOMLY
Instead of counting along the stick another technique is to ask children what number
would be at a specific position. As a prompt a few numbers could be placed along the
stick (using blue tack) to provide points of reference.
e.g. numbers 1 – 10
Put a marker for 5. Can the pupils say which number will be at any randomly chosen
position?
Sample Activities for Foundation Stage
Working with numbers 1-10:




say the number aloud
whisper the numbers
count quickly / slowly
pause and count on
Working beyond 10:



count in 1’s within 20 from any given starting number e.g. 4 – 14
count in 2’s to 20
count in 10’s to 100
5
Squashy Boxes
What are Squashy Boxes?
“Squashy Boxes” is a resource to practise and reinforce mathematical concepts with
children. The flat photocopiable pages must be cut out, folded and glued to create a
three dimensional ‘box’. Each box has four rectangular faces which show numbers,
shapes or pictures. The box can be used in several ways:
 Way 1
The box retains a 3D shape and children focus on one face or column (each column is
labelled for easy identification).
 Way 2
The box is flattened or ‘squashed’ to reveal two parallel columns. The
numbers/images in each column are regarded as separate entities, therefore the
child will see two columns of separate numbers/images.
 Way 3
The box is flattened or ‘squashed’ to reveal two parallel columns. If working with a
single digit box (e.g. Box U2) the numbers are combined to become one column
showing a two digit number.
In the Foundation Stage it is appropriate that the teacher models the use of a
Squashy Box before introducing the activity to individual children, pairs or small
groups. The boxes can be used in a practical context alongside everyday classroom
maths resources (cubes, coins, counters, etc).
See Mathematics Coordinators Materials 2008 for further information about using
Squashy Boxes in the Foundation Stage.
6
Piles of Dominoes
You need a complete set of dominoes. Take out the double zero and double 6.
Count the spots on the dominoes.
Put the dominoes on the grid with the total number of spots matching the
numbers.
The double two domino will sit under the number 4.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Do some numbers have more than one domino?
7
8
9
10
11
Nelly Elephants
Use dominoes to give the elephant spots so that each one has:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Exactly 6 spots (story of)
Less than 5 spots
More than 4 spots
An even number of spots
Both sides of the domino the same (doubles)
One side one more than the other (near doubles)
Make your elephant have the same number as your maths partner
Now try this for each pair:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Give the two elephants 12 spots altogether
Less than 11 spots
More than 15 spots
Give the first elephant 6 spots. Make its partner have 2 more than 6.
Give each elephant the same number of spots
Give each elephant near doubles
Give the first elephant more spots than the second one
Make the first elephant have a 1:3 and the second a 1:4. Think of an easy way to
work out how many spots altogether
Big Challenge
Use all 4 elephants. See if you can make the number of spots:
o Add up to 20
o As big as possible
o As small as possible
Huge Challenge
o Give each elephant a different number of spots. Record your answers. Could you
make them into a number line?
Try making your own picture sheets.
8
Nelly Elephants
9
Sneaky Snakes
4
A game for two players.
You will need:
Counters for each player (2 different colours)
A dice marked 1-6
How to Play:
Decide who will go first.
Roll the dice. Say how many dots you scored. Choose a square on Sneaky
Snake and draw that number of dots in the square.
The next player rolls the dice and says what their score is. They can
either add dots to the square that their partner has started or choose a
new square to put the dots into.
If you manage to fill a square with 6 dots altogether then you ’win’ that
square and can put a counter on it.
Continue until all Sneaky Snake’s squares contain 6 dots.
The winner is the person who has most counters on Sneaky Snake at the
end of the game.
Challenge:
Make up your own rules to the game eg:
 If you roll a 3 you miss a turn.
 If you roll a 6 miss a turn.
10
Sneaky Snakes
4
11
Data In Games
The following game is taken from a set designed to help pupils
interpret information from a variety of graphs, charts, tables and
diagrams in an enjoyable way.
For each game you will need:
- the game board
- the set of statement cards
- a dice numbered 1-6
- a coloured counter for each player
RULES
 Place the statement cards face down beside the game board.
 Each player places a counter on Start.
 Roll the dice and move that number of spaces on the board.
 Follow the instructions shown on the board. If a player lands on a
pick up a statement card and decide if the statement is
true or false. The other players must check to see if the
answer is correct. If correct the player may keep the
statement card.
 The winner is the player with most cards when everyone has
reached the Finish square.
 Variation 1: Points can be awarded as follows: true – 2 points,
false – 1 point. The winner is the player with most points when
everyone has reached the Finish square.
 Variation 2: A multilink cube can be awarded for correctly saying
if the statement is true or false. The winner is the player with the
tallest tower of cubes when everyone has reached the Finish
square.
12
Day and Night Race
Start
Finish
Day and Night Game
A game for two players.
You will need:
A counter for each player
A dice marked 1,1,2,2,3,3
How to Play:
Put your counter on the start square.
Take turns to roll the dice and move the counter that many steps round the board.
If you land on a daytime square move forward 2 spaces.
If you land on a night time square move back 1 space.
The winner is the first person to reach the finish.
Challenge:
Make up your own rules to the game eg:
 If you land on a daytime space collect two yellow cubes. If you land on a night time space lose a cube. the
winner is the person with the most cubes at the finish post.
or
 Incorporate the idea of ‘miss a turn’.
14
Favourite Instrument Game Cards
There are 19
children in the
class.
6 children like
playing the
triangle best.
Only 4 children
like playing the
tambourine best.
There are more
than 20 children
in the class.
Only 3 children
like to play the
maracas best.
2 children like to
play the guiro
best.
3 children like to The most
play the drum
favourite
best.
instrument is the
triangle.
The least
favourite
instrument is the
drum.
4 children like
playing the drum
best.
More than 7
children like to
play the
tambourine
best.
More than 3
children like to
play the maracas
best.
Less than 5
children like to
play the maracas
best.
9 children like to More than 5
play the guiro
children like to
best.
play the triangle
best.
Most children
If there were no
like to play the
triangles, 3
tambourine best. children would be
sad.
If there were no
drums, 3 children
would be
sad.
From Maths Coordinators Materials 2007