Number Fans Freebie

Hi Friends! I'm happy to be guest blogging over at Kindergarten Lifestyle today. Thanks Jeannie for having me! I know summer is sizzling but it is never to early to be thinking about the upcoming school year.   It seems that Kindergarten teachers have an endless list of things they are responsible for teaching; and one of the first on the list is number sense. When kids leave Kindergarten, they should have a strong, solid sense of number.   Number recognition is a small but important part of number sense. There are many ways to practice this skill with your students, and one good way is to have them use number fans. 

Number fans have been around for quite some time.  You may have seen many variations of this flexible and fun tool. They are simple, easy to make, and serve as a multi-purpose instructional tool. My students always had fun using them. I have created a printable number fan to help you reinforce number recognition with your students. I've also included pictures and ideas of how they might be used. Click here for your free set.  Directions for making number fans:

1. Print a set of number cards for each child in your class. Printing them on colored cardstock works well.
2. Laminate them and cut them out. (More capable students can make their own.)
3. Punch a hole in the bottom of each card and assemble them in numerical order (place the question mark at the end).
4. Use a brad or small ring to hold the cards together. 

A few ideas for using your number fans:

• Have kids display the number as you call it out. 
• Have kids choose a number, compare with a friend's number, and determine which is larger.
• Let children display a number that is one larger or one smaller than the one you call.
• Have them display a number that comes between two numbers that you call.
• Children can display the question mark card if they are unsure about the number you call.

Note: With younger children, use only number cards 0-5. As your students' number sense continues to improve, add numbers 6-9 to the fan.  Use two sets of cards when you begin working with double digit numbers.  Although it's possible to display two digit numbers with just one set, it is best to put two sets together to represent doubles and larger numbers (i.e. you can't display the number 22, 33, etc. without two sets of number cards). 

I hope you and your students will get lots of use out of these number fans! I've enjoyed being with you today. Please feel free to hop over and visit me at my blog Teach The Math. I would love to hear your comments on the number fan or ideas about how you teach number sense in your classroom. Thanks for reading along and keep on teaching the math!

Dr. Penny Messick is an Instructional Specialist with the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI).  She spent 25 years teaching K-2 and is a strong supporter of inquiry based learning.  She spends most of her days providing resources and professional development for elementary teachers across south Alabama.  Penny blogs at www.teachthemath.com.  She can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.