Learning Number Facts
Guidance for Parents
Parents often ask how best they can support their child with mathematical development. You would be surprised how much
Maths you are actually doing while carrying out everyday tasks! For example, talking about timings, cooking, going shopping,
playing board games, locating information in non-fiction books using page numbers and setting the table for dinner all involve
Maths and often problem solving skills too. Numbers and shapes are all around us. Counting, calculating, measuring and using
tables and lists (handling data) are all tasks we often do without realising.
However, spending time on learning number facts is another way you can help at home. Knowing particular number facts will
help your child to carry out mental calculations more easily. Provided below is a progressive list of number facts with suggested
activities for practising them. In school, the children will work on these number facts during lessons starting in the Nursery and
continuing through to Year 6. Start at the top of the list (regardless of your child’s age) and find out which number facts they
already know. Then target the next ‘number facts’ on the list before moving on. Please do not worry about the level at which
your child is working; ensuring they progress and learn something new is what’s important.
We greatly appreciate your support. Thank you!
Number Facts to Learn
Know one more or one less than a number from 1 to 10.
Recall all pairs of numbers with a total of 10.
1+9, 2+8, 3+7 etc.
Recall addition facts for totals to at least 5 and the
corresponding subtraction facts.
2+3=5, 2+1=3, 4-0=4 etc.
Suggested Activities
 Make a number line writing on numbers 0 to 10. Personalise it with dinosaurs or fairies (whatever your
child is interested in). Use this to identify numbers one more and one less.
 Using sweets or something tasty (healthy if possible)! Start with different numbers and work out how
many would be left if you ate one/if there was one less!
 Cut out 12 cards. Write one number on each card (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). Turn them face down
and play pairs. Take it in turns to pick two cards, if the numbers revealed add up to make 10, keep them.
Person with the most pairs wins.
 Use lego pieces or something similar. Find out how you could make a total of two (ie. 2+0 and 1+1).
Then repeat for three (ie. 3+0 and 2+1). Repeat for totals of four and five.
 Try writing the number sentences (one under another) for these and spotting the patterns, (eg. 4+0=4,
3+1=4, 2+2=4, 1+3=4, 0+4=4).
Count on or back in ones, twos, fives and tens.
Recall the doubles of all numbers to at least 10.
1+1=2, 2+2=4, ……….., 10+10=20
Recall all pairs with totals to 20.
20+0=20, 19+1=20, 18+2=20 etc.
Recall all pairs of multiples of 10 with totals up to 100,
eg. 80+20=100, 50+50=100, 10+90=100
Recall doubles of all numbers to 20.
11+11=22, 12+12= 24, double 13 is 26 etc.
Understand that halving is the inverse of doubling and know
the halves of numbers to 20,
eg. half of 18 is 9, half of 14 is 7.
Recall multiplication facts for the 2, 5 and 10 times-tables.
Recall multiplication facts for the 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10 timestables and the corresponding division facts.
Extension: work on the 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12 times-tables.
Identify the doubles of two-digit numbers,
eg. 32+32=64
Identify pairs of fractions that total 1.
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Count the number of steps in your staircase, going up in ones.
Sing rhymes, eg. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, once I caught a fish alive.
Count the shoes in your house (in twos).
Draw ladybirds and put the same number of spots on each side/wing. How many spots altogether?
 Cut out 22 cards. Write one number on each card (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16,
17, 18, 19, 20). Turn them face down and play pairs. Take it in turns to pick two cards, if the numbers
revealed add up to make 20, keep them. Person with the most pairs wins.
 Play pairs game as above but write multiples of 10 on the cards (ie. 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 50, 60, 70, 80,
90, 100).
 Write them all down in a list and look for the patterns. Identify the fact the answers are all even
numbers.
 Collect sets of objects (eg. lego bricks, pencils). Always start with an even number then share the objects
into two piles/halve them. Count how many in each pile/group.
 Try to recite the facts instantly……. ‘What is half of 16? Tell me half of 8.’
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Write down the number sentences as appropriate and look for patterns, eg. 1x2=2, 2x2=4, 3x2=6.
Use a timer to see how many times-tables facts you can answer in one minute.
Write down the number sentences as appropriate and look for patterns, eg. 1x2=2, 2x2=4, 3x2=6.
Use a timer to see how many times-tables facts you can answer in one minute.
Look for and discuss links between times tables i.e. the 4x table is double the 2x table; every number in
the 4x table is also in the 2x but not vice versa, why not?
Look for patterns and “tricks” e.g. 9x and 11x tables.
Write out the times table and the division table next to it e.g. 1x2=2 2-2=1
Use the Crazy Clock to practice tables
Create “raps” and clapping routines to help memorise times tables.
Write down the number sentences as appropriate and look for patterns
Use a timer to see how many doubles facts you can answer in one minute.
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Use “real” objects such as pizzas and cakes to ask questions such as: “what fraction is this divided
into?”
What do I add to ¾ to make a whole?
Notice that the denominator tells you how many parts are needed in total.
Put decimals in the context of money e.g. 6.5 as £6.50
Ask questions along the line of: “If 65+27=92 what does 6.5+2.7=?” “How do you know?”
Similarly for doubles and halves: double 34=68 therefore double 3.4 = 6.8
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If 3x4=12 what does 30x4= etc.
Ask questions along the lines of: how many 7s in 42?
Use a timer to see how many division facts you can remember in 1 minute for one division table?
Use a timer to see how many division and multiplication facts you can remember for the same table in 2
Use knowledge of place value and addition and subtraction of
two-digit numbers to derive sums and differences and
doubles and halves of decimals (e.g. 6.5 ± 2.7, half of 5.6,
double 0.34).
Recall quickly multiplication facts up to 10 10 and use them 
to multiply pairs of multiples of 10 and 100; derive quickly 
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corresponding division facts.
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Identify pairs of factors of two-digit whole numbers and find 
common multiples (e.g. for 6 and 9).
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Use knowledge of place value and multiplication facts to 10
× 10 to derive related multiplication and division facts
involving decimals (e.g. 0.8 × 7, 4.8 ÷ 6).
Use knowledge of multiplication facts to derive quickly
squares of numbers to 12×12 and the corresponding squares
of multiples of 10.
Recognise that prime numbers have only two factors and
identify prime numbers less than 100; find the prime factors
of two-digit numbers.
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Recognise the square roots of perfect squares to 12 × 12.
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minutes, 1 minute, etc.
Take one multiplication fact and see how many related facts you can find e.g. 4x7=28 therefore 7x4=28,
40x7=280, 28 divided by 7 =4, etc.
List the multiples for 2 digit numbers in pairs i.e. multiples of 12: (1 and 12, 2 and 6, 3 and 4). Always
start with the number itself and 1, then try 2, 3, etc.
Ask the child what times tables the number is definitely in by looking for known rules, i.e. numbers in
the 5x table always end in 0 or 5, all even numbers are in the 2x table, etc.
Link to what is already known, i.e. 8x7=56 therefore 0.8x7=5.6
Discuss the rule about how many decimal places the answer should have by looking at the question i.e.
0.8x7 will have one decimal place as there is one in the question
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These are worth memorising – maybe find a novel way to learn them such as a song, or poem.
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List prime numbers to 100 by eliminating them from times tables
Once you have your list of prime numbers, you should be able to identify prime factors – see factors
activity ideas from above.
NB. The number 1 is NOT a prime number.
Ask questions such as: “ what times itself equals 144?” and then discuss that this is called the square
root
List square numbers to 12x12 (extend beyond if you wish) and learn associated square roots
Use a timer to see if all square numbers and square roots can be identified within 1 minute
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We hope you find this useful. If you have any questions about working on these number facts at home, ask your child’s class
teacher ! Once again, thank you for your support.
Glossary of terms
Denominator
Factor
Inverse
Multiple
Perfect Square
Prime Number
Square Number
Square Root √
The number written below the line in a fraction; tells you how many parts the shape, number or quantity has been
divided into
The whole numbers which can be divided exactly into a whole number
e.g. the factors of 18 are 1,2,3,6, 9 and 18
The inverse is the opposite operation; the inverse of addition is subtraction and vice versa because each “undoes”
the other. The inverse of multiplication is division and vice versa.
Numbers in a times table (and beyond)
e.g. 5, 10, 15, 20, 125, 500 are multiples are 5
A number divisible only by itself and 1
e.g. 2, 5, 11, 13, 31
Note: 1 is not considered to be a prime number
A number whose units can be arranged into a square e.g. 4, 9, 16
Also can be though of as the product of a number multiplied by itself e.g. 2x2 or 2 squared =4, 3x3 or 3 squared
=9
Is the number that when multiplied by itself gives the square number i.e. 2 is the square root of 4, √16 = 4