Sometimes you can see how many without counting. You just know.
Step 1: Let's Learn
Read it, or press Listen and follow the words.
Try it
Look at the dots. Do not point. Do not count. How many? Three. You saw it all at once.
Dice help
Dots on dice always sit in the same places. Your eyes learn the picture.
Step 2: Try It Yourself
Look. Do not count. Just say it.
3
Card 1 of 4
Ready? The card shows for a moment.
Step 3: In Real Life
Rolling a dice
You roll a dice. You see three dots. You do not count them. You just know it is three.
Step 4: Watch an Example
One step at a time.
Watch Bo Just Know
Bo sees two dots on a card.
- Step 1
He looks at the card for a moment.
Watch Ivy Just Know
Ivy sees a dice card. Ivy starts. You finish.
- Step 1
Ivy looks at the card. Her hands stay still.
Step 5: Your Turn
Practice makes it stick.
The Dice
Problem 1 of 12
A dice shows two dots. How many?
The Fish Bowl
Problem 2 of 12
Fish swim in a bowl. How many fish?
Quick Look
Look at the dots. Say how many.
Problem 3 of 12
How many?
Problem 4 of 12
How many?
Problem 5 of 12
How many?
Find the Mistake
A friend looked. Can you spot the slip?
Problem 6 of 12
Tom looks at this card. He says 3. What did Tom do?
Problem 7 of 12
How many dots are on the card?
Problem 8 of 12
Pia looks at this card. She says 3. What did Pia do?
Problem 9 of 12
How many dots are on the card?
Which Way?
Pick the way that helps.
Problem 10 of 12
A dice card. Which way is quick?
Problem 11 of 12
These dots are mixed up. Which way helps?
Make What You Saw
Fill the boxes.
Problem 12 of 12
Make four.
How many
Step 6: Quick Check
Show what you know.
Question 1 of 1
How many?
Ready for more?Optional. Past the lesson, for anyone who wants it.
Stretch 1 of 1
A bigger dice card. How many dots?
What You Learned
- Small groups can be seen at a glance.
- Dice dots always look the same.
For the grown-up
Recognizing a quantity without counting is called subitising. One, two and three are easy; four is usually fine; beyond that almost everyone counts.
Dice and domino patterns work because the arrangement never changes, so the child learns a shape rather than a tally. Five is recognisable by the dot in the middle.
Counting still works and is never wrong. Seeing it quickly is a shortcut, not a rule, and a child who counts to be sure is doing good mathematics rather than failing the exercise.