An Eye On Curriculum
Strengthening number sense at home: Partitioning (part-part-whole)
What is partitioning?
Partitioning is breaking a whole number, for example 7, into different parts, for example 3 and 4. Breaking this ‘whole’ number into 2 ‘parts’ is called part-part-whole.
Another example would be taking the ‘whole’ number 9 and breaking into 2 ‘parts’ of 6 and 3. In this example the number 9 could also be broken into ‘parts’ of 4 and 5, or 2 and 7 or 1 and 8.
Practising this skill at home will help your child understand that any number can be broken into different parts, which supports later learning in addition and subtraction.
Here are some easy and fun ways to help your child develop their understanding of partitioning:
Toy sort
Count a collection of your child’s favourite toys, such as construction blocks. This total is the whole.
Ask your child to rearrange them into 2 groups (parts) and tell you how many are in each part.
Bring both parts back into one group and then separate into 2 parts in a different way. Ask them, ‘how many ways can the toys be grouped into 2 parts?’
Petal parts
Draw a flower with 9 petals. Have your child count the petals (the whole).
Ask your child to colour in the petals of the flower using 2 different colours; for example, 4 red petals and 5 blue petals.
Draw a second flower with 9 petals. Ask your child to show you another way to colour the petals using the same 2 colours.
If you like, you can draw more flowers with 9 petals and see how many other ways your child can break 9 into 2 parts using the 2 colours.
You can also do this activity with flowers that have a different number of petals.
Licensed under CC BY: © iStock.com/Feri Ferdinan
Oranges and apples
Pick 7 pieces of your child’s 2 favourite fruits (for example, apples and oranges).
Have your child tell you the total number of fruit (the whole), as well as how many of each type of fruit (the parts) there are; for example, 3 oranges and 4 apples. Talk about what other combinations of the 2 fruit types would make 7.
Chalk and talk
Use chalk to draw a number (the whole) on the pavement.
Have your child draw that number of a favourite shape below the number. Ask them to circle a number smaller than the whole to make 2 parts; for example, draw 6 shapes and circle 4 shapes, leaving 2 shapes as the second part.
Nature numbers
Collect a small group of sticks, leaves, or stones from the park. Count the whole with your child and then ask them to sort into 2 parts. Count and then bring back together to separate a different way.
Licensed under CC BY: © iStock.com/Lyubov Smirnova
Jumping in parts
Ask your child to do 10 jumps in 2 parts. They might do 4 quick jumps for the first part, pause, and then do another 6 quick jumps for the second part. Ask, ‘how many jumps in each part’ or if there was another way they could jump in 2 parts.
The Mathscots
The Mathscots is an animation series that supports numeracy at home for early primary school aged children.
Following the introductory episode, there are nine episodes that you can watch with your children in any order at any time. Each episode is between one and two minutes long.
For each episode, there are ideas and activities you can explore with your children. Whether you choose to explore a few activities or many, it's important to:
- learn alongside your children
- encourage curiosity and discussion.
Maths Fun for Every Day
A numeracy focused activity for each day of the week, including suggestions and questions to prompt conversations with young children.