These FREE Subitizing Cards are a great way to play with number sense.
Find all our Counting and Number Sense Printables.
*Grab this freebie by scrolling down and clicking on the teal download button at the bottom of this post.
What is Subitizing?
Subitizing is the ability to look at a small group of objects and instantly see how many are there without counting the objects. For example, when a child can roll a die and tell how many dots there are without counting, they are subitizing.
Subitizing is a foundational number sense skill. Understanding how to subitize helps learners with other math skills like: recognizing patterns, skip counting, counting on, addition, and subtraction. As you see, it’s a great skill to play with, even when learners are young!
Two Kinds of Subitizing
There are two different kinds of subitizing. One kind is developmentally appropriate for younger learners while the other kind is for older learners.
- Perceptual Subitizing – This is the “pure” sense of the word where learners automatically recognize dot patterns for numbers 1-6. Typically, this is appropriate for ages 4 through Kindergarten. Again, think rolling a die and identifying the number rolled.
- Conceptual subitzing – This skill is more complex and is for numbers higher than 6. It is typically appropriate for 1st grade and up or after after a learner has mastered perceptual subitizing. When the dot pattern goes beyond 6, learners must first identify smaller patterns within the larger dot pattern and then quickly combining them together to figure out the number. This is essentially what happens when a learner rolls two or three dice at one time and has to quickly tell the total.
Subitizing Cards
The subitzing cards in this pack include numbers 1-12 and 48 dot patterns for these numbers. This means you can use the cards with preschoolers {numbers 1-6} as well as older learners {using numbers 7-12}. No two dot patterns are the same.
You’ll find the dot patterns that learners are familiar with from a die as well as other ones. All the number cards can be found in color and in blackline.
At first, use the cards to teach subitizing. Explain how you can “see” the number by talking about the patterns you notice.
When teaching the skill, it’s a-okay to go slow at first. Show a card, and let your learners tell you the patterns they notice.
Once learners get the hang of it, quickly show a card then remove it from sight. Ask your learners to tell you how many dots they saw.
You can also use the cards to match them up in a pocket chart or on a table top/carpet area. You can even play a memory matching game with them like you see in the images above. Start slow, and then add some speed to the matching games. Just have fun!
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Enjoy teaching subitizing!
~Becky
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