Learn numbers with blocks
These explainers cover the number ideas that sit underneath the Number Blocks Generator and the Number Blocks Tool. Each one has worked examples and a few practice questions with answers, so they can be read with a child or printed.
Place value explained with blocks: hundreds, tens and ones Why the same digit can be worth 3, 30 or 300, how to show it with blocks, and the mistakes to watch for when children first meet three-digit numbers. For: Ages 6-9, parents and teachers Counting to 100: strategies that build real number sense Rote counting versus counting objects, the tricky decade changes, and short daily routines that help young children count to 100 with understanding. For: Ages 4-7, parents Odd and even numbers: the pairing test and the last-digit rule A hands-on way to decide whether a number is odd or even, why only the ones digit matters, and what happens when you add odd and even numbers together. For: Ages 6-9 Prime and composite numbers, shown with rectangles A visual definition of prime numbers using block rectangles, why 1 is not prime, how to test a number quickly, and the primes below 100. For: Ages 8-11 Finding factor pairs with arrays A systematic way to list every factor of a number, how arrays show multiplication, and why square numbers have an odd number of factors. For: Ages 8-11 Expanded form: writing numbers as a sum of place values Standard, expanded and word form side by side, worked examples with zeros, and a printable set of practice questions with answers. For: Ages 7-10 Number bonds to 10 and 100 What number bonds are, how to practise them with ten-frames and blocks, and how bonds to 10 lead straight into bonds to 100 and mental subtraction. For: Ages 5-8 Skip counting and multiples: patterns to look for Skip counting by 2, 5, 10, 3 and 9, the digit patterns each one makes, and how skip counting turns into the times tables. For: Ages 6-9 Comparing and ordering numbers with < and > A step-by-step method for comparing whole numbers of any size, how to remember the inequality signs, and ordering practice with answers. For: Ages 7-10 Rounding to the nearest 10 and 100 Rounding with a number line, the halfway rule, and why rounding is useful for estimating and checking answers. For: Ages 7-10 Square and triangular numbers: building shapes from blocks Build square and triangular numbers with blocks, spot how they grow, and discover how two triangles make a rectangle. For: Ages 8-11 Number practice by age: what to focus on from 4 to 10 A practical guide for parents on which number skills to practise at each age, with short activity ideas and signs that a child is ready to move on. For: Parents Printable place value worksheet with answers A ready-to-print set of 15 place value questions in three levels, with an answer key, plus how to make your own cards with the Number Blocks Tool. For: Ages 6-10, parents and teachers How to use the Number Blocks Generator: menu, jumps, Set and number facts A practical walkthrough of the Number Blocks Generator menu: small and large jumps, typing an exact number with Set, the Clubs groups, and the new Number facts and Break it down links.