Number practice by age: what to focus on from 4 to 10

For: Parents. Updated 2026-10-15.

Children develop at different speeds, and school curricula vary by country, so treat the ages below as rough guides rather than targets. The order matters more than the age: each stage relies on the one before.

Around 4 to 5: counting and comparing

• Count small collections accurately, touching each item once.
• Recognise small amounts without counting (dice patterns, fingers).
• Compare two groups: which has more?
• Activity: lay out a handful of objects, count them together, then hide one and ask how many are left.

Around 5 to 6: numbers to 20 and bonds to 10

• Read and write numbers to 20, including the teens.
• Learn number bonds to 10.
• Count on and back from any number.
• Activity: ten-frame "how many more to make 10?"

Around 6 to 7: place value to 100

• Understand tens and ones; write two-digit numbers in expanded form.
• Skip count in 2s, 5s and 10s.
• Odd and even.
• Activity: bundle straws into tens and make numbers the child chooses.

Around 7 to 8: three-digit numbers and the first times tables

• Hundreds, tens and ones; compare and order three-digit numbers.
• Times tables for 2, 5 and 10, then 3 and 4.
• Round to the nearest 10.
• Activity: one printable practice card from the Number Blocks Tool a day.

Around 8 to 10: factors, primes and larger numbers

• All times tables up to 10 × 10 or 12 × 12.
• Factor pairs, prime and composite, square numbers.
• Numbers in the thousands and beyond; rounding to 100 and 1,000.
• Activity: guess-then-check prime hunts with the tool.

Signs a child is ready to move on: they answer quickly without counting on fingers, can explain why, and can spot their own mistakes.

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