---
title: What is number sense?
description: What is number sense, and how does it help with math? Learn how poor number sense impacts kids and adults. Find out how kids can develop stronger number sense.
slug: number-sense-what-you-need-to-know
author: Bob Cunningham, EdM
published: '2019-08-05T15:48:28.872Z'
thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/68wRtlkaBjgd54qjWDefmu/8d1a0757828af7dad937734e79fc66fc/G182753951.jpg
source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/number-sense-what-you-need-to-know
lang: en
---

# What is number sense?

Number sense is a group of skills that allow people to work with numbers. These skills are key to doing math — and many other tasks.

Number sense involves:

- Understanding quantities
- Grasping concepts like *more *and* less*, and *larger *and* smaller*
- Understanding the order of numbers in a list: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.
- Understanding symbols that represent quantities (*7* means the same thing as *seven*)
- Making number comparisons (12 is greater than 10)
- Recognizing relationships between single items and groups of items (*seven *means one group of seven items)

Some people have stronger number sense than others. Kids and adults with poor number sense may struggle with basic math operations like addition and multiplication. They can also have trouble with everyday tasks and skills like measuring, handling money, and judging time.

Trouble with number sense often shows up early, as kids learn math. For some people, the difficulty lasts into adulthood. But with time and practice, these skills can improve.

---

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