Hands-on Math: Discovering Numbers with Paperclips

In their maths lessons, our Year 3 classes explored numbers up to 1,000 through tactile, activity-based learning. But what does that actually involve?

Learning with all the senses means that children actively engage with the material, rather than just working theoretically. Instead of merely looking at numbers and formulas, they experience mathematics through hands-on activities. The children are allowed to touch, move, and organise things – learning with both their minds and hands in the process. This active involvement in learning fosters a deeper understanding and helps retain the material more effectively.

Especially in Year 3, when children start working with larger number ranges, this practical approach becomes particularly important. Working with numbers up to 1000 presents a challenge, which is made easier through hands-on learning.

To illustrate the abstract concept of the 1000-number range, we use a simple but effective tool: paperclips. The children arrange them in groups, such as rows of ten. This makes the decimal system visible and understandable through touching, counting, and organising. The 1000-number range becomes literally ‘tangible.’