The paper underlines the importance of developing early number sense in children, with advice and exercises for both parents and teachers. Children's trajectories in mathematics are shaped early and the development of early number sense will reap benefits in later schooling and adult life. 

Number sense is defined as foundational number competencies involving knowledge of number, number relations and number operations. Children who begin year one with lower number sense scores are more likely to face ongoing challenges in maths throughout their primary school years and beyond. 

Number sense involves three key strands that work together – knowledge of numbers, understanding relationships between numbers, and grasping elements of number operations. Research shows that teaching all three together helps make explicit the connections between these three strands, especially for children who struggle with number sense.

The paper is structured in three parts:

• The first section defines number sense and outlines its significance in early cognitive and mathematical development. It describe in more detail the number sense competencies children need to develop, focusing on preschool through Foundation and early Year 1 (i.e. 4 to 7 years of age).
• The second section explores how difficulties with number sense arise, how they can be identified through effective early screening and why timely identification is essential.
• The final section presents practical, evidence-based instructional strategies and classroom routines that educators can use to support number sense development in all learners.

The report is accompanied by an audio version.