Numicon Explained: Maths can look very different to parents today compared with how they learned it at school. If your child has come home with a bag of brightly coloured plastic shapes full of holes, you have met Numicon. Developed by Oxford University Press and used in primary schools across the UK, Numicon is a multi-sensory maths tool designed to help children see, feel, and understand numbers before they work with abstract digits. Each shape represents a number from one to ten, each has its own colour, and together they make addition, subtraction, and number relationships visible in a way that a written sum simply cannot.
For teachers in Early Years, Key Stage 1, and lower Key Stage 2, Numicon is a staple of the National Curriculum maths toolkit. It sits squarely within the concrete, pictorial, abstract (CPA) approach that UK primary schools follow: children handle physical objects first, draw pictures of those objects second, and only then move on to written numbers. LearningMole, the UK educational platform founded by former primary teacher Michelle Connolly, uses the same CPA sequence across its maths video resources, which is why Numicon fits naturally alongside the teaching materials we produce for parents and classroom practitioners alike.
This guide explains what Numicon is, how the colour and shape system works, how children progress through it from nursery to Year 4, and how you can support that learning at home without spending a fortune on the official kit. If you have ever wondered why your child’s teacher is reaching for plastic shapes instead of a worksheet, this is where you find out.
Numicon is a structured maths programme built around flat plastic shapes with holes, each representing a number from one to ten. The shapes are colour-coded, sized proportionally to the numbers they represent, and arranged side by side so that children can see relationships between numbers at a glance. It was developed by Oxford University Press in response to research showing that many children struggle with abstract number concepts when those concepts are introduced through written numerals before a secure, concrete understanding is established.
The programme is used in nursery, Reception, Key Stage 1, and lower Key Stage 2, and it extends naturally to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who benefit from tactile, visual representations of number. Numicon is not a remedial tool; it is a mastery tool used across all ability levels because it builds the number sense that underpins all future maths learning.
LearningMole’s primary maths resources follow the same principles: make the abstract concrete, use visual and physical representations first, and build understanding before moving to written calculation. That alignment is why Numicon and LearningMole’s teaching videos sit comfortably alongside each other in both classrooms and home learning settings.
Every Numicon shape has a fixed colour. These colours are standardised across all official Numicon resources, so a child who learns with a classroom set will see the same colour associations at home or on a worksheet. The table below maps each number to its official Numicon colour and a brief description of the shape.
| Number | Official Colour | Shape Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | White | A single hole in a small rectangular peg shape |
| 2 | Grey | Two holes in a straight line |
| 3 | Yellow / Cream | Three holes arranged in an offset column |
| 4 | Pink / Salmon | Four holes in two rows of two |
| 5 | Orange / Red | Five holes in a distinctive L-shape |
| 6 | Dark Pink / Magenta | Six holes in two rows of three |
| 7 | Pale Yellow | Seven holes — the tallest single-column shape |
| 8 | Blue | Eight holes in two rows of four |
| 9 | Green | Nine holes in a near-square grid |
| 10 | Dark Orange / Brown | Ten holes in two rows of five — the largest shape |
Note: some manufacturers produce alternative colour schemes. The table above reflects Oxford University Press’s official Numicon colour coding, which is the version used in UK schools.
When teachers explain how they use Numicon, they often use terms that mean little to parents outside of a classroom. Here is a plain-English guide to the phrases you are most likely to encounter.
| What the teacher says | What it actually means |
|---|---|
| Subitising | Recognising how many objects there are without counting them one by one. A child who looks at the 5-shape and immediately says “five” without counting holes is subitising. |
| Number bonds | Pairs of numbers that add up to a target number. Number bonds to 10 means all the pairs that make 10 (1+9, 2+8, 3+7, and so on). The shapes show these visually when placed side by side. |
| Commutativity | The idea that 3+4 gives the same answer as 4+3. Children can see this with Numicon by swapping the shapes around and seeing that the total stays the same. |
| Part-whole model | Showing that a number is made up of smaller parts. A 7-shape can be shown as a 3-shape plus a 4-shape: two parts making one whole. |
| CPA approach | Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract. Children first handle real shapes (concrete), then draw pictures of them (pictorial), then write number sentences (abstract). Numicon is the concrete stage. |
| One more / one less | Adding or subtracting one from any number. The stepped height of the Numicon shapes makes this visible: each number is one hole taller or shorter than its neighbours. |
You do not need the full classroom kit to support your child’s learning. A basic set of shapes and a pegboard is enough for most home activities. The four sections below follow the progression that teachers use, from early years matching games right through to lower KS2 multiplication.
At this stage, children are building number sense, not calculating. The goal is for them to connect shapes to quantities and spot patterns. Simple activities work best.
This is where Numicon earns its reputation in UK classrooms. The part-whole model becomes visible with physical shapes in a way that abstract sums cannot achieve.
Most guides treat Numicon as an Early Years or KS1 resource and stop there. That is a missed opportunity. Numicon remains valuable well into Year 4 for children who need a visual anchor for more abstract concepts.
Official Numicon classroom sets can cost between £20 and £60 for a basic home pack. If that is outside your budget, or if you simply want to reinforce the ideas with resources you already own, there are several straightforward alternatives that capture the same mathematical principles.
These DIY approaches work because the mathematical relationships are what matter, not the brand. The goal is always the same: give your child something to physically manipulate before you ask them to write anything.
A common concern among parents is that their child will become dependent on physical aids and struggle without them in tests or written work. This concern is understandable, but it reflects a misunderstanding of how the CPA approach works. The shapes are always the first step, not the final destination.
“Children who have genuinely understood a concept through concrete materials don’t cling to them; they move on naturally. The shapes do their job when a child no longer needs them. The aim is understanding, not dependence.” Michelle Connolly, Founder of LearningMole and a former primary teacher with over 15 years of classroom experience
The three-stage transition typically follows this sequence:
If a child is reluctant to move away from the shapes, the likely explanation is that understanding is not yet secure, rather than that the child has become lazy or dependent. The response is more concrete work, not fewer shapes.
LearningMole produces curriculum-aligned maths video resources for primary-aged children, using the same concrete, visual approach as Numicon. Our videos explain number bonds, addition and subtraction strategies, multiplication, and place value through visual demonstrations that align with the CPA sequence children encounter in school.
For parents supporting home learning, LearningMole’s primary maths resources provide a bridge between the classroom and the kitchen table. Rather than working from a textbook, children can watch short explanations that show the same visual methods their teacher uses. This makes homework feel familiar rather than foreign.
Search LearningMole’s video library for times tables, number bonds, and place value content that complements Numicon-based teaching. Many videos use physical manipulatives and visual representations that sit naturally alongside Numicon activities at home.
Numicon is used with children from nursery age (around 3 years old) through to Year 4, and sometimes beyond for children who need additional support. In Early Years and KS1, it supports number recognition, counting, and basic operations. In lower KS2, it helps with multiplication, fractions, and odd and even numbers. There is no set age at which children stop using it; the progression follows understanding rather than a strict year group.
No. Numicon is a mastery resource designed for all learners, not a remedial aid. UK primary schools use it across ability levels because building a strong visual and concrete understanding of numbers benefits every child, including those who find maths straightforward. High-attaining children often get the most out of Numicon because they can use the shapes to explore more complex relationships and explain their reasoning.
Numicon supports the National Curriculum requirement for all primary schools to teach the concrete, pictorial, abstract (CPA) approach to maths. It provides the concrete stage of that progression for number and place value, addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, and fractions. The KS1 and KS2 programmes of study both emphasise that children should be able to reason with and explain mathematical ideas, and Numicon gives children a visual language for doing exactly that.
Yes. Numicon is available for home use and supplements any teaching approach, as it builds number sense and visual understanding that support all maths learning. If your child’s school uses a different programme, Numicon activities at home will not confuse them; the shapes are a tool for building understanding, and that understanding transfers across methods. A basic home set of shapes is available directly from Oxford University Press.
Memorising times tables and understanding multiplication are related but different. A child who can recite the 6 times table without being able to explain what 6 times 4 means lacks the conceptual understanding that makes maths portable across new problems. Numicon helps children see multiplication as equal groups, making it easier to apply times-table knowledge to division, fractions, and later algebra. If the conceptual understanding is already secure, the shapes have done their job.
Both are structured maths manipulatives that use size and colour to represent numbers. The key difference is design: Numicon shapes have holes in them that make counting and subitising explicit, while Cuisenaire rods are solid coloured blocks. Numicon is more commonly used in UK Early Years and KS1 settings; Cuisenaire rods tend to appear in KS2 and secondary contexts. Both follow the CPA approach, and both build number sense effectively. Many classrooms use both at different stages.
You can recreate the core mathematical ideas using everyday objects. Egg cartons, LEGO bricks, and counters placed in grid patterns all capture the same structural relationships as official Numicon shapes. The critical thing is to give your child something physical to handle before moving to written number sentences. LearningMole’s free maths videos show visual representations of the same concepts that reinforce what your child does at school, and they are a useful companion to any home activity involving physical manipulatives.
Children move away from the shapes naturally when their understanding is secure. The formal sequence is concrete (shapes), then pictorial (drawings or diagrams), then abstract (written numbers). If a child can solve a problem with written numbers and explain why the answer is correct, they no longer need the shapes for that concept. If they still reach for the shapes when working independently, that is a signal that more concrete practice would help rather than that they should be pushed to work abstractly before they are ready.
Numicon works because it makes the invisible visible. Numbers are abstract; a plastic shape with holes is not. When children can hold a 7-shape next to a 3-shape and see that they fill a 10, they understand something about numbers that no amount of drill or rote learning can replicate. That concrete understanding is the foundation that makes written calculation meaningful rather than mechanical.
The CPA approach that Numicon sits within is not a new idea, but the evidence behind it is robust. UK primary teachers use Numicon precisely because it gives children a reliable route from physical experience to abstract number sense. Parents who understand how it works are better placed to reinforce that learning at home, whether they use the official shapes, a DIY alternative, or simply ask their child to explain what they did in maths today.
LearningMole’s primary maths resources are built on the same principles: visual, curriculum-aligned, and designed to make abstract ideas accessible for children aged 4 to 11. Explore our maths video library to find teaching resources that work alongside the approaches your child uses in school.
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