Frequently Asked Questions about Numicon and Multi Sensory Maths

Please find below a list of Frequently Asked Questions, for any clarification or other questions please contact us directly on 01273 515 591 or email us

Please could you give me some information on your At Home Kit?

First Steps with Numicon at Home” is our new improved At Home Kit.  It is designed for parents of children aged 3-5 to enjoy learning about maths at home through a series of playful games and activities.  It will help to give children a head start with the number ideas they meet at school in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  At first glance the activities seem simple, so we have included notes for parents explaining why they are significant mathematically; we have also listed the all important maths language that children can learn through each activity. 

Are there any rods I can purchase that are the same colour as the Numicon shapes? If not, why are the rods not provided in the same colour?

The Number Rods and Numicon Shapes are different colours because children need to move beyond matching by colour.  For example, we don’t want children to always think of the number 5 as being red. In our experience most children cope happily with both images and will use a combination of Rods and Shapes to make a higher number, if they do not have enough of one. It is the patterns of the Shapes and the relationships between them and the relative lengths of the Rods that allow children to make connections between the Shapes and/or the Rods and number ideas.  In both the Firm Foundations Kit and the Closing the Gap Kit there is an activity called ‘If this is one …’. It is in this activity that children are asked to give the Numicon Shapes their number names.  The same activity can be repeated with Number Rods.

I have a young child with Down Syndrome, please could you advise which program is best to use first?

We would recommend that you use “Closing the Gap with Numicon” – this comes with a progression of comprehensive teaching activities following the typical acquisition of basic number understanding.  Each activity comes with suggestions for smaller steps and other ideas for extending the use of Numicon in lots of playful ways as well as connecting activities that will help your child to consolidate number understanding.

Once you feel that your child is ready and understands these Closing the Gap activities, we would then recommend that you purchase the Kit 1 conversion kit, this will give you teaching materials and equipment to extend the Closing the Gap materials to teach all the Kit 1 Activities.

What is the red post box (included in Kits 1 and 2) for?

The Numicon post box is used in playful activities to give children all important practise to learn arithmetic facts.  Try posting a numeral card through the slot to a child, the child then posts back two shapes that add up to make that number.  There are many other ideas for using the post box on the activity cards. 

Are rods included in the kits? If not, can these be purchased separately?

Rods are not included in the kits, as most schools already have these as a resource, so we sell them separately for £42.00 + VAT.  The Rods are centimetre scale ranging in length from 1cm to 10cm.  They are a really useful additional image and they can by used in place of Numicon in nearly all the activities.  They fit neatly into the Rod Trays which children can use for making patterns and building addition facts of all numbers to 10.

Do you have sample packs/inspection copies of Numicon resources?

Yes. We can provide an inspection copy of one of our Kits (either Closing the Gap, Firm Foundation Kit, Kit 1 or Kit 2). You will have 30 days in which to decide whether the kit is suitable.  When you have finished evaluating the kit and if you decide you do not wish to keep it, you will need to return it to us in the original packaging and in the same condition as received.

Would it be necessary for children to have used Numicon at the Foundation stage first, or could we start a group/class at the next level?

It is not necessary for children to have used Numicon at foundation stage first BUT it is necessary for children of any age to have the opportunity to experiment Numicon Shapes before they use them in their maths work.  They also need to be competent with the basic Foundation or Closing the Gap activities before moving onto the calculating work in Kits 1 and 2, however for most children in Year 2 and above (aged 7 up) this will not take long.

In practice, what this means is that they should be able to put the Shapes in order of size, give the Shapes number names and attaching a numeral to each, be able to arrange objects into the Numicon patterns (without counting), be able to combine Numicon Shapes to show addition and compare them in subtraction whilst using the appropriate mathematical language for addition and subtraction. 

Where children are having difficulties with maths and with acquiring basic understanding, the assessment signposts booklet, included in Kits 1 and 2, is designed to help with assessing where to start pupils on the teaching programme. The booklet makes reference to the Firm Foundations and Closing the Gap activity cards.

Are there Numicon training courses that teachers can attend?

Yes, there are various training workshops and conferences taking place throughout the U.K. and we also have a team of Independent Numicon Accredited Trainers who provide training to Local Authority consultants, teachers, parents and charities. If you are interested in attending a training day or organising a training workshop please contact Rebecca on training@numicon.com or call 01273 515591. 

Does Numicon provide training workshops for schools?

Yes. Numicon have a team of knowledgeable Independent Numicon Accredited Trainers throughout the U.K. We offer a half day or full day training workshops and can offer twilight sessions in a limited number of areas. You can find out further information please contact Rebecca on training@numicon.com or call 01273 515591.

Please could you tell me more about your Training DVD?

Our Training DVD, Working with Numicon, is a great resource to support Teachers and TAs. The DVD is broken down into six sections and shows Numicon being used within mixed Foundation, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 classes. The DVD also comes with key discussion points and practical activities to use in staff meetings and sessions. Working with Numicon costs £85.00 + VAT and a p&p charge of 5%.

IWB Software

I’ve installed the software onto our network and found that every time I log in, as someone different, I have to re-type the serial key and user name. Is there a way round this at all?

Not at the moment unfortunately. Our software wasn’t designed for networks and it does need to be installed onto each computer. If it is installed onto a network, as you will find, you will need to enter your details each time. The software was originally designed for use on Interactive Whiteboards and we didn’t foresee schools adding the software to every computer. We are looking to improve the IWB software at some stage and when we do we will change the licensing arrangement to allow it to be loaded onto a network.

Are we able to purchase a single user licence?

No. However, we do sell a 4 user licence at the price of £75.00 + VAT.

How do I find out my registration key details to log on for the interactive software?

Please e-mail orders@numicon.com and you will receive a reply with the details of your user name and your registration key so you may log on.

Special Educational Needs and Numicon for Intervention

Please could you explain how Numicon would be useful to children with special learning difficulties?

Numicon has been found to be particularly helpful for children with learning difficulties because our multi sensory approach plays to children’s strong sense of pattern. Children are able to learn through both seeing and feeling how Numicon patterns connect with each other. By physically building constructions, making arrangements and patterns with Numicon and playing games with the feely bag, children experience both with their hands and their eyes how numbers fit together. We have found that this alternative to purely symbolic representations of number has allowed some real breakthroughs for those with learning difficulties.

There is a useful guidance book, written by Dr Jo Nye, entitled “Teaching Number Skills to children with Down Syndrome, Using Numicon”. This gives many ideas for using Numicon to support pupils with entrenched special needs and can be purchased from Down Syndrome Educational Trust.

My child is just finishing Key Stage 2 and is still struggling with concept images and muddling signs. Do you think Numicons’ kits are too young for my child?

No, not at all. Numicon has a new kit, released in September 2008, called Closing the Gap. This kit has been designed specifically for children of any age who are experiencing much greater difficulty learning mathematics than the majority of pupils their age. The kit is suitable for use as a Learning Intervention programme and also for pupils who have special needs. For further information on the Closing the Gap kit, please see our website or contact us directly on info@numicon.com of 01273 515591.

I have a young child with dyslexia, who is using Numicon shapes at school. I would like to support his work at home to help with his sums, what would you suggest I buy from Numicon, on a budget?

Numicon and our multi-sensory approach is recommended by the Dyslexia Institute. The most economical and ideal kit, for your child, is the new First Steps with Numicon at Home Kit. This includes the Numicon shapes, pegs and base boards as well as other extras. There are also activity cards in the kit, which introduce some early ideas on numbers and arithmetic. The kit costs £25.53 + VAT and a small order charge of 5%.

What Numicon materials should I buy for intervention?

There is a page on the website that should give you some good background on using Numicon for Intervention: http://www.numicon.com/intervention.html .

In terms of materials, we are working with the Every Child Counts programme and this is what we have recommended each of their schools buy:

Suggested Numicon resources per school to support ECC 2008/09:

If you would like some further information about using Numicon in intervention, please contact us on info@numicon.com or 01273 515591.

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Numicon Ltd, 12 Pine Close, Avis Way, Newhaven,
East Sussex, BN9 0DH, United Kingdom