number homework eyfs

10 fun maths activities and games for the EYFS

With Famly since

Maths in the early years is a crucial stepping stone for developing children, which is why it’s so important that the little ones can explore and experience it in an enjoyable way. We’ve carefully chosen some fun maths games and resources to promote early learning of numbers through play.

Want to see how it’s done? Click here to watch the video of our five favourite activities ⏯

1. Combine mathematical skills with fine-motor skills.

Number Hunt in Jelly by Hazeldene Family Centre

This fun maths activity:

First, spread out some plastic numbers in jelly layers. When it’s all set, give out some tongs to children and show them how to pick up the numbers from the wiggly substance ( and practice their fine motor skills along the way! ). This sensory play is a great way of sneaking in number recognition into some sensory play.

What you need:

• Plastic Numbers

2. How do you make maths activities fun? Add Lego!

DIY Lego Pattern Cards by A Crafty Living

This fun maths game:

Lego. Useful in so many different ways , including making mathematics exciting. Prepare some cards with colourful blocks on them and let children discover colour patterns and reproduce them with LEGO bricks. Consider leaving the colouring part to your little learners so they can form their own patterns and include some EAD in the mix too. It's a win-win!

• Paper Cards
• Coloured Pencils
• LEGO Blocks

3. Challenge the children's maths skills to solve a missing number mystery

Missing Number Math Activity by Planning Playtime

This Early Years maths game:

Write number sequences on craft sticks and remember to leave some blanks in between. Next, you write the missing numbers on some clothes pins and give them out to the players. Now the children use their fine-motor skills and clip the pins on sticks and complete the sequence. The best thing about this fun and inexpensive maths game is that you only create the props once and they’re ready to be used as many times as you like.

• Craft Sticks (colour or plain)
• Clothes Pins

4. A simple game of swat the number.

Smack the Number Counting Game by Fun Learning for Kids

Prepare some sticky notes with various numbers and place them in front of the children armed with fly swatters. Roll the dice to get your target number. The goal of this simple yet fun game is for the little ones to identify the number on the dice and match it with the ones written on sticky notes by smacking the correct answer with a fly swatter!

• One or two dice
• Fly swatter
• Sticky notes

5. Playing with pom-poms to promote problem-solving skills

Straw and Pom Poms Counting Game by Nurture Store

Label small containers with some numbers that you’d like your learners to practice and prepare some straws and pom poms. For this fun maths activity, the kids simply put the straw on a pom-pom and suck in, to try and pick it up. Then they drop it over the containers until they’ve got the right number in each one.

• Shallow containers
• Labelled stickers (or any paper, glue and marker)

Get 50 free EYFS activities

6. A fun maths game to drive you dotty!

Number Dots and Easy Touch And Count Activity by Busy Toddler

Tape some paper to the wall and write several numbers, each decorated with dots, to match the quantity the number represents e.g. 4 dots on the number 4. Now, the players can touch each dot with a marker and see the number and the quantity altogether! You can also put the paper on the floor but holding a marker up and out makes this not only a fun game for early years maths but also a good way to strengthen those little arm muscles.

7. A magnetic, mathematical, magical fishing game

Magnetic fishing number game by Messy Little Monster

This Early Years maths activity:

First, you or the children need to cut your paper into fish shapes and add a paperclip. Next, write the numbers on the fish using a pen. For the fishing rod, tie some string (with a magnet on the end) to your stick! Now the whole class can 'fish' for numbers!

• Card/ Paper (or old pieces of artwork) to cut into fish shapes
• Paper clips
• Magnets, preferably some too large to be swallowed.
• Stick or long piece of wood

N.B. Always supervise children very carefully with magnets.

8. Fun maths activities are eggs-actly what we're looking for!

Egg Cracking Counting Activity by Modern Preschool

Looking to 'hatch' a plan for some fun maths games? Create ‘eggs’ by cutting out oval shapes from cardboard and writing different numbers on them. Students identify the numbers and 'crack the eggs' by punching the corresponding number of holes in them - you could always make one first, as an example. This exercise can also help develop muscles in those minute hands.

9. More fun in maths? Make it musical!

Top 10 Counting Songs by Super Simple Songs – Kids Songs

According to the BBC “When children are singing they are taking in information and training the brain but they don’t think they are, they think they are just having fun. Singing is an aerobic activity that boosts oxygenation in the bloodstream, increasing mental alertness”. We agree! Check out these 10 lovely songs to give it a go.

• A way to play music
• Your voice!

10. Matching with maths - a classic game with a mathematical twist.

Valentine Math Activity – Broken Heart Numbers by Fun a Day

Sometimes the most fun games are the classics. A simple matching game for one player, two players, or the whole classroom! Simply cut out some hearts and cut each in half using different zigzags, squiggles and other connecting shapes. Then write a number on one side and draw a corresponding number of hearts on the other. Well done, you’ve just created puzzles! Challenge the children to see who can find the matching hearts card to their number cards.

• Paper or card

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The big ideas

Official Danish Government Reopening Advice

Guidance from the Danish Health Ministry, translated in full to English.

UK Nursery Covid-19 Response Group Recommendations

The full recommendations from a working group of over 70 nursery chains in the UK.

Please note: here at Famly we love sharing creative activities for you to try with the children at your setting, but you know them best. Take the time to consider adaptions you might need to make so these activities are accessible and developmentally appropriate for the children you work with. Just as you ordinarily would, conduct risk assessments for your children and your setting before undertaking new activities, and ensure you and your staff are following your own health and safety guidelines.

Matt Arnerich

Matt Arnerich is Famly's Director of Brand & Comms. He looks after the story of what makes Famly different, helping us to get closer to our mission.

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Early Years Activities - Number

Counting Collections

In this activity, children choose collections of items to count and are supported as they find ways to keep track of, and record, their counting.

This activity encourages children to practise their sharing and counting skills by putting small objects into some baskets.

Number Talks

In this task, children have the opportunity to talk about what they see when they look at a number representation.

Hidden Jewels

In this 'hide and reveal' game, children are encouraged to say the number of gems without counting them.

The Voting Station

This task encourages children to count and compare numbers when using 'voting bricks' to vote for a book at story time.

Using Books: The Doorbell Rang

In this activity, the book 'The Doorbell Rang' by Pat Hutchins provides an engaging context in which children can explore sharing.

Estimation Station

This activity involves filling a jar with small objects to encourage estimation and counting skills.

Using Books: Maisy Goes Camping

In this task, the book 'Maisy Goes Camping' by Lucy Cousins introduces children to the idea of using the size and number of objects to work out how many will fit in a 'tent'.

Golden Beans

This task provides children with an opportunity to count 'golden beans' and find a number card to represent how many they have.

Number Book

Creating a 'Book of Four' provides an opportunity for children to collect groups of four objects and consider how the groups of objects are similar.

Double Trouble

This story about some troublesome dogs encourages children to find and model doubles of different numbers.

Owl's Packing List

In this activity, children can practise reading numbers and counting items in order to help Owl pack for his holiday.

In this task, children will learn different ways of representing the same number.

When tidying away toys in this activity, children will use their counting skills to check that all the toys are in the box.

Shopping - Pirate Poundland

In the pirate pound shop, children can practise their counting skills by choosing ten items to spend their ten pounds on.

Number Rhymes

In this activity, the rhyme 'Ten Green Bottles' is used to encourage children to count backwards to work out how many bottles are left.

Maths Story Time

This story provides an engaging context for children to share out the treasure fairly among the characters.

Incey Wincey

In this game, children roll the dice and count how many steps to move the spider up or down the drainpipe.

This dice activity encourages children to relate the number on the dice to the number of teddies they need to choose.

This task provides children with the opportunity to investigate halving different shapes and check that they have made two halves.

The Box Game

In this game, children will use their addition and subtraction skills to keep track of the number of toys hidden inside a box when toys are added in or taken out.

HOME > Maths > Numbers > Activity Booklets

My Book about ‘0’ (SB3830)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the numeral 0.  Ideal as a homework resource.

My Book about ‘1’ (SB3318)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 1.  Ideal as a homework resource.

My Book about ‘2’ (SB3327)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 2.  Ideal as a homework resource.

My Book about ‘3’ (SB3328)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 3.  Ideal as a homework resource.

My Book about ‘4’ (SB3354)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 4.  Ideal as a homework resource.

My Book about ‘5’ (SB3355)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 5.  Ideal as a homework resource.

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My Book about ‘6’ (SB3366)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 6.  Ideal as a homework resource.

My Book about ‘7’ (SB3381)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 7.  Ideal as a homework resource.

My Book about ‘8’ (SB3429)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 8.  Ideal as a homework resource.

My Book about ‘9’ (SB3485)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 9.  Ideal as a homework resource.

My Book about ‘10’ (SB887)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 10.  Ideal as a homework resource.

My Book about ‘12’ (SB4607)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 12.  Ideal as a homework resource.

My Book about ‘11’ (SB4604)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 11.  Ideal as a homework resource.

My Book about ‘13’ (SB4629)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 13.  Ideal as a homework resource.

My Book about ‘14’ (SB4663)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 14.  Ideal as a homework resource.

My Book about ‘15’ (SB4677)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 15.  Ideal as a homework resource.

My Book about ‘16’ (SB4694)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 16.  Ideal as a homework resource.

My Book about ‘17’ (SB4710)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 17.  Ideal as a homework resource.

My Book about ‘18’ (SB4731)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 18.  Ideal as a homework resource.

My Book about ‘19’ (SB4746)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 19.  Ideal as a homework resource.

My Book about ‘20’ (SB4762)

A set of sheets which can be assembled into an A5 folded booklet to give to pupils.  Includes activities to aid recognition and writing of the number 20.  Ideal as a homework resource.

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Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) covers the Nursery and Reception years. It's the start of an exciting journey for your child and you'll be keen to help them every step of the way. To do this, you'll need to understand what they are being taught in the EYFS curriculum and have the right resources at hand to support learning at home. 

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In this section you'll find all the information you need, as well as hundreds of EYFS English worksheets , EYFS maths worksheets and EYFS science worksheets to help you support learning at home and get your child’s education off to a great start!

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All about phonics.

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Is your child about to start Nursery or Reception? If so, TheSchoolRun has designed an Early Years book bundle just for you and your child that will ensure you have all the support and educational resources you need to make this important transition. The Nursery and Reception Activity eBook is a beautifully illustrated guide linked to early learning goals for children under five. With fun and familiar themes divided into six activities per section, this book puts the fun into learning from the word go. Each activity is short to keep your child engaged, and so you can limit your time investment to just as long as you have. With easy-to-follow instructions, a clear description of the areas of learning and development along with age groups for attainment, your child will love learning while they play. Starting school can be as exciting for parents as it is for their children. The Essential Guide to the First Years of School aims to answer the questions that you might ask about your child’s time in primary school. This book is every parent’s indispensable guide to managing the first years at school. You’ll refer to it time and again for useful information for new starters, as well as how to tackle issues, what all the jargon means and how to get help for special needs children and manage your child’s wellbeing.

Support your child's progress in Reception with a unique Learning Journey programme

The Reception English Learning Journey and Reception Maths Learning Journey each comprise 40 worksheets that will help your child review and master all the core areas of learning that they’ll be taught in the National Curriculum in Reception. By following the programme, which closely mirrors what your child is being taught in school, you’ll quickly be able to spot any topics that your child hasn't fully grasped and reinforce learning that is happening in the classroom at home. Your child will feel more confident in their own abilities and you’ll know you are giving your child the very best chance of succeeding in school. You can also see if your Reception child's learning is on track with the Reception Maths Progress check and Reception English Progress check .

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EYFS All About the Number 5 Learning Activity

Subject: Maths for early years

Age range: 3-5

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

14 April 2023

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This EYFS All About the Number 5 learning activity enables children to learn all about the given number. The resource is split into multiple areas that allow for detailed familiarisation with the number.

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