3.3y–5y12 minDevelopmental playQuiet timeFamily time
Hundred Square Pattern Patrol
Use (or quickly make) a 100-square chart and play short spotting and covering games to notice patterns like 10s, 5s, and +10 down a column, with an estimate-and-check coin drop to practise counting accuracy.
What you'll need
Essentials
- paper (at least one sheet) and a marker
- 10–20 small counters (coins, buttons, or beans)
- a crayon/pencil (for circling or colouring)
Nice to have
- sticky notes or small paper scraps (as covers)
- a ruler (helpful for drawing a neat grid, optional)
Movement level: false
What you'll do
The 4-step guide, with what to look for at each step, is for signed-in parents.
What this develops
- MilestoneIdentifies shared category featuresMind· 2.8y–5y· core· Step 2
- MilestoneRecognises written numeralsMind· 4y–5y· core
- MilestoneCounts objects one-to-oneMind· 4y–4.5y· core· Step 4
- MilestoneRecites the counting sequenceMind· 4y–5y· core
- MilestoneReports the counted totalMind· 4.3y–5y· core· Step 4
- MilestoneCompares object propertiesMind· 2.8y–5y· stretch· Step 2
- MilestoneReceptive opposite understandingMind· 4y–5y· stretch· Step 2
What it practices
- Selects the correct numeral to represent 1 to 5, then 1 to 10 objects.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Estimates how many objects they can see and checks by counting them.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Counts an irregular arrangement of up to ten objects.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Uses the language of ‘more’ and ‘fewer’ to compare two sets of objects.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
Where it comes from
- Source
- Development Matters in the EYFS (DfE, 2012)
- Original guidance
- “Use a 100 square to show number patterns.”
- License
- Open Government Licence v3.0
- Attribution
- © Crown Copyright 2012 (Development Matters in the EYFS, DfE)