Spotty Trucks

Here's a number line, counting, sorting, matching maths resource with a strong transport-vehicles-trucks theme.

The 4 page pdf download includes a series of truck images (10 trucks per A4 page). The image quality is high enough so that the pages could be enlarged if necessary. The trucks feature the following:

•  spots (0 to 12);
•  the numerals 0 to 12;
•  the written numerals 'zero' to 'twelve';
•  the ordinals 1st... to 10th

The A4 pages should be cut into separate cards and can then be used as a number line, or display. They can be 'pegged' on a washing line, or mixed and sorted. 

Here are a few more ideas:

Pick up a small number of beads, match the beads to the spots on a truck. "Which truck can you 'fill'? Can you fill more than one truck?"

Ask the children to count the spots on each truck. Can they put two of the trucks next to each other (in convoy) so that they show 5 spots altogether? Can they choose two trucks to make 6, or 7?

With laminated cards, connect pairs of spots on the trucks to find which trucks have even and which ones have odd numbers

Cover part of a spotty truck with a counter, tell the children how many spots there should be in total and ask them how many must be under the counter.

"Here's a truck with 9 spots... how many are hidden?"

Mix the spotty trucks and the number trucks together as one pack - play snap or pelmanism games

Mix up (say) the 1 to 4 spotty trucks on the table, let the children look at them for a moment. Ask the children to close their eyes and then you hide one of the trucks. "Open your eyes... can you work out which truck has driven away? ... How do you know?"

Can the children match the 1 to 4 spotty trucks to the number trucks or to the written numeral - or both?

Put a mixed up selection of trucks (numbers, spots, written numerals) on a washing line and challenge the children to arrange them in order.

Use the ordinal numbers on the trucks to demonstrate a race - give a group of children a truck each and ask them to line up in 'order'.

Note: we switched the orientation of the trucks around for the ordinal numbers so the order has a more logical feel (left to right) - but children need experiences that involve ordering items in both horizontal directions - and vertically too.

We've uploaded the original images to the mathsticks+ dashboard, so if you are a mathsticks+ member you can download the images as a pack (jpeg images in a zipped folder). The images are high quality so you can print them larger than they appear in the pdf here or use them on an IWB.

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