Numicon: Box of 80 Numicon Shapes

When I worked as a teaching assistant we used numecon in school for maths. It helped children visualise maths problems and be hands on then write the sum in their books. I bought this for my grandchildren for Easter for the reasons above. I think that it's a great piece to have to help solving math problems.

Great learning resource so many thinks you can do with them! Great for children who are learning numbers, used a lot in schools so something they are familiar with.

My maths resources “go to”. It’s so versatile and easy to add to play situations and use photographic versions too. Brilliant little box of maths resource .

Great learning tool for kids of all learning

I use numicon to teach Key Stage 2 children both in their class work and as a private tutor working with children who have some difficulties with maths. It is an excellent way of showing children such a lot of maths concepts and is brilliant for getting them to understand lots of number work. Lots of children who have problems with maths are more visual learners (and don't tend to learn so well by listening) so numicon is perfect for them. As it is bright and colourful, children like it and they enjoy using the coloured shapes. It can be used with younger children but is also suitable for teaching maths right up to Year 6 as long as you have an imagination to think of how to use it. If you are very visual yourself, this will come to you naturally although I do come across many teachers who just don't seem to 'get it' without training. Everyone learns differently so if you are not particularly visual, you may need to look at the website quite a bit to get some ideas. I would recommend buying the box of 80 shapes plus a set of extra tens as these will be needed for bigger numbers. Since I came across numicon about 6 years ago, I have been a massive fan and can't recommend it highly enough. I just wish I'd thought of it myself!!!

The only reason these are getting a 4 star is because for the price,which were expensive enough,i would have expected some sort of information or guidance starter booklet. Obviously there is information online etc,so its not a problem. But for a little extra,i could have got the entire Numicon starter kit which includes the numicon itself with an activity book, baseboards, number lines, place cards etc, as opposed to just the Numicon apparatus in a box. The Numicon itself arrived in great condition and there is plenty in terms of quantity.

Excellent product. My kids love it

Numicon is a great multisensory resource for teaching maths to young children. As a Numbers Count teacher in a Primary School I find it very useful as an attractive structured apparatus to make that vital connection between counting a number of objects such as toys and relating that number to the abstract written numeral. It's great for learning about place value (tens and units - and if you have a second box you have enough tens to make numbers over 109!) and easy to identify odd and even numbers (the even numbers can be counted in multiples of two, with the child placing two fingers in the pairs of holes, but odd numbers have that "odd one out"). Children make their own discoveries eg if you put two odd numbers together it makes an even number! Enjoy those "light bulb" moments! You can hide Numicon shapes in a bag for the child to identify each shape and talk about it just by feeling it. Helpful too for when you're using 10p and 1p coins to make "teen" prices playing shops - children like to place the 10p on the Numicon ten and the 1p coins over the holes of the Numicon units shape. Also, older children can discover multiplication and division facts in a very visual way. (You can also buy the baseboard and the pegs to build towers but they're quite fiddly.) This box of 80 Numicon shapes is highly recommended to help children aged 3-7 but it's also great for helping slightly older children who may be struggling with the concept of place value. Currently a bargain price here on Amazon. (Edit: Now back up to nearly full price.)