Number Line Box

To teach children about basic mathematical concepts.

Estimated time to create the Learning Teaching Material

60 to 90 minutes

Materials required for activity

  • Shoe box
  • Scissors 
  • Fevistick/ hot gum
  • Pencil, scale, eraser 
  • Marker
  • Wooden stick/straw
  • Coloured papers
  • Cutter
  • Printouts of pictures of animals
  • Plastic Toys 

Preparation for activity:

Teachers can use this independent working model to teach children about addition, subtraction, multiplication and skipping numbers.

Procedure

  • Take a shoe box and remove/cut off the lid. 
  • Using coloured paper, cover the entire box with one single coloured paper.
  •  Cut another coloured paper in a water wave-like structure. On it write numbers from 0 to 10 on an arrow line. Teachers can paste 3D plastic models to give it a more attractive look. 
  • The left side arrow indicates that we need to subtract and the right side arrow indicates, we need to add. 
  • Take a stick/straw and paste an animal cutout at its tip. This will be used to indicate addition and subtraction in the above given directions. 
  • In one of the longer standing sides of the box, cut out a long rectangular window for the teacher to insert the stick/straw to indicate the number.

Important Tips

  1. To teach subtraction and addition, move the stick in opposite directions. The number line should show numbers in ascending and descending order. 
  2. To teach addition, e.g., to teach 5+2, move the stick from 1,2,3,4,5 and then move 2 places further right, to show the addition of 2 more numbers to it. Hence, the total is 7.  Similarly, for subtraction, turn the stick from the highest to the lowest number. 
  3. As the children progress and understand the concepts, work with number lines having two-digit or three-digit numbers. (0-20) (0-100) 

Using the Learning Teaching Material

The teachers can use this activity to teach children about multiple math concepts.

Source and Attribution of images
All images used in the above Assets and Aids are originally created.
This digital material has been developed by the Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vahini Inclusive Education Project, a unit of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam, as a collaborative offering in the service of our nation.