Chapter II
From Digit to Number
Why is this so important?
In the preschool years, children first meet the idea of number not only in everyday life, but also in planned learning situations. This is the time when they gradually begin to understand that a digit is not only a written symbol, but also a way of showing a specific quantity. Learning to give digits a value is a foundation of mathematics education - without it, it will be hard for a child to move on to later stages such as addition, subtraction, or understanding place value.
In this chapter we focus on helping children link a digit with its numerical meaning, that is, with the matching number of objects. Through concrete, active work - building, arranging, comparing - children take in knowledge through experience.
Games with blocks support this process perfectly. Blocks are colorful, attractive, easy to handle, and make multi-sensory learning possible: the child sees, touches, builds, counts, and compares.
Teaching children that every digit has its own value develops:
- understanding of the idea of number (e.g. 3 = three objects),
- the skill of counting real objects,
- the ability to compare numbers (more, fewer, the same amount),
- concrete-abstract thinking,
- a sense of agency and independence.
In the suggested activities, children not only get to know digits, but above all work with them in practice - they count blocks, build structures, solve puzzles, make decisions, and draw conclusions.
This chapter includes 10 tried-and-tested activities that can be flexibly adapted to the group and to the situation in the classroom. Each one helps children develop an understanding of number as a quantity - through play, movement, and creative action.
The Block Counter
Learning goal
The child links the written digit with its numerical value.
Needed elements
6 colorful gears (for each child)
Two platforms for each child
Cards with digits 1-6
How it goes
- Give the children six gears and two platforms each. The children join the platforms together.
- Show the digit cards one after another (e.g. 2, 5, 3).
- The children's task is to place on the platform as many blocks as the digit shows and spin them.
- Count together and check: "Are exactly 5 blocks spinning?"
Variants
Instead of spinning the gears on the platforms, the gears can also be joined together to make a tower.
The Colorful Number
Learning goal
The child understands that the value of a digit is a number of objects that can be counted.
Needed elements
Cards with digits 1-6
Gears in six chosen colors (e.g. 3 red, 3 green, etc.)
How it goes
1. Place a digit card in front of the children.
2. The child's task is to find and place in front of them the matching number of blocks in a chosen color.
3. For example: for the digit "3" the child chooses 3 blue blocks.
4. Children count each block out loud as they arrange them.
Children can also play this game in pairs: prepare a larger number of digit cards. Place them in a container. One child draws a card and hands it to the other, who must show the amount presented on the card.
Variants
Turn the task into a movement game - children bring from another part of the room as many blocks as the digit shows.
Block Number Code - a pair activity
Learning goal
The child recognizes digits and matches them with the right number of blocks.
Needed elements
Strips with three digits written on them, with values from 1-4 (e.g. 1-4-2)
Gears - 4 blocks of each color per pair
How it goes
- Children draw a "code" made of three digits.
- Their task is to build a tower of three sections - each section of the tower should have as many blocks as the given digit shows.
- So the children build, for example, 1 block (red), 4 (green), 2 (yellow) - each section may be a different color.
Variants
Children swap the towers they have built and guess what the number code was.
Block Comparisons
Learning goal
The child compares numbers and understands the ideas "more", "fewer", "the same amount".
Needed elements
Gears, cylinders, cards with digits
(if working individually, digits 1-6)
How it goes
- Children each draw two digit cards.
- Next to each card they place as many blocks as the digit shows.
- Then they place the cards one under the other and, to the right of the cards, they arrange the blocks side by side.
- Children compare the number of blocks next to the top card and the bottom card.
- They name them: "5 is more than 3", "4 is the same as 4".
Variants
Easier variant - work in pairs, digits 1-5, gears only.
Each child draws one card and builds a tower of gears in the amount shown by the digit. Children compare their towers with each other and name them: "5 gears is more than 3".
The Block Number Builder
Learning goal
The child orders numbers by increasing or decreasing value.
Needed elements
Blocks
Cards with digits 1-6
How it goes
- Spread cards with digits from 1 to 6 on the carpet.
- Each child's task is to build constructions from blocks next to each card, using as many blocks as each digit shows.
- They place them next to the matching cards.
- The result is a row of constructions built from as many blocks as the card shows - the blocks arranged in increasing or decreasing order.
Variants
Detective game - next to one of the digits there is a construction made of fewer or more blocks; children must find the mistake and move the construction to the right place.
The Jumping Digit
Learning goal
The child links the written digit with a number of movements or actions.
Needed elements
Cards with digits 1-6
6 colorful blocks
How it goes
- Each child draws a digit card and places in front of them as many blocks as the digit shows.
- For each block the child does one jump, clap, or other simple movement.
- In this way the child "counts with movement" and feels the numerical value with their body.
Variants
You can build a construction from as many blocks as there were movements - linking physical action with building.
The teacher can also show the number of blocks with claps (or jumps) - each child listens to the number of claps, then chooses that many blocks and shows them to the teacher (a version for younger children) or builds a construction from them.
Give as Many as You Have
Learning goal
The child works with quantity according to its numerical value and practices concrete subtraction.
Needed elements
6 blocks for each child
Cards with digits 1-6
A container (the "block bank")
How it goes
- The child has 6 blocks as "their supplies".
- They draw a digit card, e.g. 3.
- They put into the bank as many blocks as the digit shows.
- They count the remaining blocks - how many are left?
Variants
Swap roles - the child gives a classmate a digit, and that child carries out the matching action.
A Tower with a Digit Inside
Learning goal
The child recognizes a written digit among other symbols and relates it to a specific quantity.
Needed elements
Cylinders (10 per child)
Worksheets with digits, letters, and symbols
How it goes
- Various signs (letters, digits, graphic marks) are written on blocks or small cards.
- The child's task is to find the digit among them and build a tower from as many cylinders as the digit on the card shows. The cylinders may be stacked one on another, or a construction can be built from them (e.g. a pyramid).
- Then we ask the children how many red, blue, and green cylinders they have in their tower (counting); slowly they can also make simple word problems - I have three red cylinders and two blue ones, so five altogether.
- The activity develops the skill of selecting information and recognizing digits in different contexts.
Variants
Add a word game - children try to recognize the other signs and explain what they mean (e.g. letters), and then look only for digits.
How Many Steps to the Goal?
Learning goal
The child counts blocks as steps and understands that a digit sets a distance.
Needed elements
Cards with digits
Blocks (cylinders - they can form a path)
A toy or a goal (e.g. a figure, a teddy bear)
How it goes
- With about 100 cylinders, the whole group lays out a path (a line); at the end of the path we place a toy. The path can be made longer or shorter during the game.
- The child draws a digit (e.g. 4).
- They take as many steps beside the blocks as the digit shows - stopping at the goal or in front of it.
- We check: were there enough steps? Were more steps needed? By how many steps is it too many?
Numbers in Pairs
Learning goal
The child learns to recognize number-quantity pairs (digit-number of blocks).
Needed elements
Blocks
Cards with digits
Cards with drawings of towers (e.g. a tower of 4 blocks)
How it goes
- Spread out the digit cards and the tower pictures.
- Children are to find the matching pairs - a digit and a tower drawing that go together.
- After matching, they build a real tower from blocks and check that it matches.
Variants
Add a random draw: the child draws one part of the pair and looks for the other half on the carpet.