Number Blocks Add Up to Fun!

Math surrounds our everyday lives. Children count their toys or notice when their sibling has more than they do. Bridging natural inquisitiveness with formal number skills, these number blocks by Beck & Bella get students thrilled to learn about numbers, teach multiple concepts, and are gorgeous to boot!

There are so many fun ways to use these number blocks that they may be a permanent addition to the block center.

Hands-On Number Lines

Being able to recite number names and to count is a skill many students practice before entering kindergarten. Number lines are a preschool staple, but on their own can be a rote and abstract routine. The ultimate goal is to challenge students to see beyond “what comes next?” and truly understand the meaning behind numbers.

These number blocks are a great way to do just that. Each number is measured in units, meaning the “8” block is eight times taller than the “1” block. Adding this visual and tactile component scaffolds learning in a very unique way. 

If a block is out of order, students easily identify the inconsistency due to size. In the case of these blocks, the size connects to the number’s quantitative meaning. Students can observe that “9 is bigger than 5” because, just by looking, the 9-block is larger than the 5-block. This type of thinking is foundational to continued math learning.

Math Facts Made Easy with Number Blocks

Preschool is a time for exploration and discovery, but that doesn’t mean that students aren’t up for a challenge. While math facts are usually an elementary school skill, they are easy to incorporate into play with the Beck & Bella blocks.

Due to the proportionality of these blocks, students recognize the different ways numbers are composed. Teachers can guide students into discovering different blocks that, when stacked, equal the larger numbers. Effortlessly incorporating math vocabulary into play is also a bonus!

The student has stacked a 5, a 2, and three 1s on top of themselves in the picture above. Set beside the number 10 block, it is visually apparent that 5+2+1+1+1=10. The teacher may record the compositions on a sheet of paper to show the relationship between what the child views as playing and the actual number sentence. It is very similar to beginning reading. The goal is to have students begin to understand that each character/number has meaning.

This remarkable feature of the number blocks allows students to see how different numbers can add up to the same answer!

Number Blocks as…Blocks!

After all, they are BLOCKS, so students enjoy building fantastic number towers with them. The dinosaurs, meant as counters, became inhabitants of the soaring number towers in “Number Land.”

Do you have these blocks in your classroom? Share a picture on social media and be sure to tag us!