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  • Early Years Foundation Stage

Using Wonder to Promote Curiosity

Using Wonder to Promote Curiosity

As teachers, we often like to share something spectacular with learners in order to get a "wow". However, rather than a punchline, the tricks in this feature will capture children's curiosity, motivating them to explore and explain, and helping them to realise that mathematics is the tool they need to make sense of the world.

What's in a Name? 
Age 5 to 7
Challenge Level Yellow star

What do you notice about these squares of numbers? What is the same? What is different?

Unexpected Ordering 
Age 5 to 7
Challenge Level Yellow star

Watch the video of Fran re-ordering these number cards. What do you notice? Try it for yourself. What happens?

Digit Addition 
Age 5 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow star

Try out this number trick. What happens with different starting numbers? What do you notice?

Surprising Split 
Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow star

Does this 'trick' for calculating multiples of 11 always work? Why or why not?

Truth or Lie 
Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow star

Take a look at the video of this trick. Can you perform it yourself? Why is this maths and not magic?

Your Number Is... 
Age 7 to 14
Challenge Level Yellow star

Think of a number and follow the machine's instructions... I know what your number is! Can you explain how I know?

The Number Jumbler 
Age 7 to 14
Challenge Level Yellow star

The Number Jumbler can always work out your chosen symbol. Can you work out how?

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The NRICH Project aims to enrich the mathematical experiences of all learners. To support this aim, members of the NRICH team work in a wide range of capacities, including providing professional development for teachers wishing to embed rich mathematical tasks into everyday classroom practice.

NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.

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