All Activities
Maths

Hidden Objects Quick Look

Overview

Children quickly look at a group of objects and say how many they see.

Learning Objective
Children recognise small quantities without counting.

Resources needed

  • Small objects
  • Cups or covers

Lesson stages

0 / 7 done
  1. 1 Place a small number of objects under a cover.
  2. 2 Lift the cover briefly.
  3. 3 Ask: 'How many did you see?'
  4. 4 Let children answer quickly.
  5. 5 Reveal again and count to check.
  6. 6 Repeat with different numbers and arrangements.
  7. 7 Encourage children to explain how they saw the number.

Tap a step to mark it as done.

Variations

  • Use two colours of objects
  • Increase the number gradually
  • Let children lead the activity
More information

Allow children to show the number with fingers rather than say it aloud.

Begin with 1–3 objects only before extending the range.

Which numbers can children subitise confidently? Do they describe seeing groups (e.g. 'two and one more')?

Use a cloth, flat stone, or hand to cover objects briefly. Any small identical objects work. No specialist flash cards required.

Children may try to count rather than subitise, especially beyond 3. If you see lip movements or finger tracking during the brief reveal, the exposure time needs to be shorter or the number needs to be smaller.

Activity details
Early Years Medium 10–15 minutes No prep Small Group, Whole Class Indoor & Outdoor
Topics
Subitising