Number Line Activities to Try at Home
A number line puts numbers in order, each in its own place. In our view, it helps a child see how big a number is. Try a line of tape on the floor from 0 to 10. Ask your child to stand on 6, then jump two. Do these activities alongside your child's math instruction, not in place of it.
TL;DR
- A number line puts numbers in order, each in its own place. In our view, it helps a child see how big a number is.
- You can make a number line with tape on the floor. You can also use a string of cards or a line on paper.
- Do the activities on this page alongside your child's math instruction, not in place of it.
- We hold no study that tests the activities on this page. That is a gap in what we hold, not a finding that they do not work.
- Our suggestion, from our own reasoning rather than a tested method: keep each session short. Let your child do the moving.
What a number line shows a child
Do these activities build understanding? We cannot show that. We hold no study that tests the activities on this page. That is a gap in what we hold, not a finding that they do not work.
Here is some of what we do hold. An expert briefing looked at ways to help with dyscalculia (Iuculano, 2020). Two number games in it did not carry over to sums; one number-line training did. None of them was an activity on this page. The briefing is not a full review. Its author led one of the studies it describes. It says this research is still young.
One trial tested a computer program for children with dyscalculia (Kohn and colleagues, 2020). Children who used it gained more in sums and in placing numbers on a line. They were compared with a group still waiting for it, not with other practice. A later check on whether the gains lasted had no group to compare with. It was a program on a screen, not an activity on this page.
So the activities below come from our own reasoning. A number line puts numbers in order. Each number has its own place. In our view, the space between them is the point. On a line, 8 sits close to 10 and far from 80. To us, that helps a child see how big a number is. That feel for size is part of what people call number sense.
Why placing numbers can be hard
One study asked children to place numbers on a line from 0 to 1,000 (Gut and colleagues, 2022). The children were around age 10. Children at risk of dyscalculia placed numbers less accurately than the others. But the results in that group were very mixed. It was a lab task. The study looked at each child once. The task is not something a parent sees at home.
A German medical guideline summary lists signs of dyscalculia (Haberstroh and Schulte-Körne, 2019). Trouble placing a number on a number line is one of the signs it lists. By its account, one mistake is not a sign. It judges mistakes by how varied, lasting and frequent they are. Our page Signs of Dyscalculia by Age: A Parent's Checklist lists more signs.
The activities
These are our own suggestions. Each is built to be worked alongside your child's math instruction, not in place of it. None needs special materials. For games on other skills, see our page Math Activities That Build the Underlying Skills.
A line on the floor. Put a strip of tape on the floor. Mark 0 to 10 along it, a big step apart. Ask your child to stand on 6. Then ask them to jump two forward. Where did they land? Then jump three back. In our view, a child who walks the line feels the space between numbers.
Hops, out loud. On the floor line, say each hop as it happens. "Start on 4. Hop, hop, hop. Now I am on 7." Then write it down: 4 + 3 = 7. Try hops back, too. To us, a jump back is what take away looks like.
Between the two ends. Hang a string between two chairs. Clip a card with 0 at one end and 10 at the other. Hand your child a card with 5. Where does it go? Then try 2, then 9. Ask how they chose. Then change the ends to 0 and 20. When that is easy, try 0 and 100.
The empty line. Draw a line on paper with no marks on it. It has a name: an empty number line. Your child writes only the numbers they need. For 27 + 5, write 27 near the left. Jump 3 to get to 30. Then jump 2 more to get to 32. For 43 + 20, make two big jumps of ten.
Objects, then a drawing, then the numbers
Our working order is objects first, then a drawing, then the written numbers.
On a number line, put all three on the same problem. Take 4 + 3. Lay four buttons along the tape, then three more. Then draw the line with a dot for each button. Last, draw a line with no dots. Mark 4 and 7 on it, and write 4 + 3 = 7. In our view, that keeps each number tied to what it stands for.
When something is too hard, go back to the buttons. Take them away once your child stops reaching for them.
How to run it
Our suggestion, from our own reasoning rather than a tested method, has a few parts.
- Keep each session short, and say when it will end.
- Let your child do the moving. Hand them the card, the clip or the pencil.
- Ask how they chose a place. To us, the reason tells you more than the answer.
- Treat a wrong place as something to look at together. Count the steps and see.
- Keep practice apart from testing. In our view, if every bit of math is a test, avoiding it makes sense.
What the research we hold says, and where it stops
We hold no study that tests the activities on this page. That is a gap in what we hold, not a finding that they do not work. Here is some of what we do hold.
An expert briefing looked at ways to help with dyscalculia (Iuculano, 2020). Two number games in it did not carry over to sums; one number-line training did. None of them was an activity on this page. The briefing is not a full review. Its author also led one of the studies it describes. It says this research is still young, and that randomized trials are needed.
One trial tested a computer program for children with dyscalculia (Kohn and colleagues, 2020). It had 67 children in grades 2 to 5. Some used the program, and the rest waited for it. Those who used it had at least 42 sessions of 20 minutes. They gained more in sums and in placing numbers on a line than the waiting group. It was not compared with any other kind of practice. A later check had no group to compare with. The authors call that "merely indirect evidence" that the gains lasted. It is a program on a screen, not an activity on this page.
Do the activities on this page alongside your child's math instruction, not in place of it.
When activities are not enough
Each of these is a reason to ask for help on its own.
- Little change, even with steady practice and good teaching.
- Math well below your child's other schoolwork.
- Extreme upset about math.
- Complete avoidance of math.
- A teacher who raises a concern about math.
- A skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
Tell your child's teacher what you have seen and what you have tried. In our view, if you are worried enough to ask, a professional evaluation is worth asking about.
Key Takeaways
A number line puts numbers in order. In our view, it helps a child see how big a number is.
A number line can be floor tape, a string of cards or a line on paper.
Do the activities on this page alongside your child's math instruction, not in place of it.
Our working order is objects, then a drawing, then numbers, all on the same problem.
Our suggestion: let your child do the moving, and ask how they chose.
We hold no study that tests the activities on this page. That is a gap in what we hold, not a finding that they do not work.
Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
Put a strip of tape on the floor. Write 0 at one end and 10 at the other. Ask your child to stand where 5 goes. Then ask where 9 goes. You are not testing anything. You are watching how they get there. Do they count from 0? Do they go to the middle? It is one thing to notice, not an answer on its own.
”What to do tonightWhat to use next
A set of questions you answer about what you see at home. A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing, or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too — that's the only route to those supports.
What sits underneath arithmetic, one skill at a time, worked alongside math instruction, not in place of it.
Common questions from parents
Is a ruler the same thing as a number line?
A ruler is a number line with every mark filled in. In our view, a line with only the two ends marked asks more of a child. They have to think about where a number goes. Start with a line that has every mark. Once that is easy, try one with only the two ends marked.
My child counts the marks one by one. Is that wrong?
No. In our view, counting the marks is a strategy. To us, it shows your child is not yet judging the space. Try a line with only 0 and 10 marked. Ask for a guess first, then count to check. Keep the counting as the check, not the first step.
Should my child use a number line in tests?
Ask your child's teacher what is used in class and in tests. At home, in our view, a number line is something to practice with. Our hope, from our own reasoning, is that the drawn line is needed less over time.
Can an app do this?
One review pooled 15 trials of math practice on a screen (Benavides-Varela and colleagues, 2020). The children were picked for low math scores. The practice helped on average, but results varied widely between trials. The authors say that spread prevents strong conclusions. The review found no evidence that video games add anything over plain practice software. In our view, pick practice that is made of math.
How long before it helps?
We cannot put a number on it for your child. Children rarely notice their own math improving, because the work gets harder as they get better. Keep some old work to compare. In our view, the skill is built, not waited for.