Do you need to make your own number blocks as math manipulatives? My little one loves Number Blocks (the show). I think it’s one of the best programs made for learning number sense. There’s also the Alpha Blocks series that is just as good. I came across this idea that I just had to share with you for making little number blocks as math manipulatives.

As an Amazon affiliate, I may earn a commission for purchases using my links. If you need to see what real number block figurines look like, Hand2Mind has a set here that you can model your creation after, as a guide. Once you have created your own number blocks, your students will love breaking them apart and reassembling them to do math problems.

How to Make Number Blocks as Math Manipulatives

Use Number Blocks sticker faces on Unifix cubes: I got this idea from an Amazon review for these Didax Unifix Cubes. The buyer bought the sticker faces separately. You can get stickers here.

Use math link cubes from Learning Resources: Mathlink cubes look like number blocks with holes on the sides. You can hot glue on eyes and mouths and pull through a pipe cleaner through the holes to make arms.

Number Blocks from Hand2Mind

Hand2mind has different types of number blocks as math manipulatives. See the different games and activities below.

Number Blocks Popits from 1 to 10:  I love that they take familiar characters from the show and combine it with popits. Every time you pop the popit, it’s very satisfying. They are very sturdy and can easily withstand some tough play from the little ones.

Numberblocks Wooden Building Blocks Activity Set:  This set is a great way to visualize and have hands on with numbers that also pairs well with the TV series. Students can stack, count, and match the blocks to the characters from the show. 

Numberblocks MathLink Cubes 11-20 Activity Set: This set is great for practicing counting, number recognition, and building early math confidence.

Numberblocks MathLink Cubes 21-30 Activity Set: There are a lot of individual blocks in this kit, along stickers. The instruction cards for building each Number Block are clear enough, and well-printed. The set comes with cute hats, just like in the show.

Numberblocks Blockzee Balance Activity Set: This is a good educational resource for preschoolers and up. This set includes a balancing monster with 2 containers, 61 cubes, an activity guide, a sticker sheet, 10 double-sided activity cards, and a dry-erase marker. It is a hands-on activity for children to learn various math concepts such as counting, addition, subtraction, comparing numbers, etc. I like that the monster shows the less than, greater than, and equal to sign while comparing numbers is a good visual representation that provides more understanding to children.

Numberblocks Six to Ten Mini Vehicles: These are number block cars for 6 to 10. They are very representative of the characters.

I hope this has helped you get ideas for using number blocks as math manipulatives. Similar to number blocks, base 10 blocks are used to represent number in a comcrete way. See how teachers are using base 10 blocks in this blog post.

More ideas for using number blocks as math manipulatives will be added as I find them. Have you discovered a new way to use number blocks? If you have, please share about it in the comments. Teachers are the ones who innovate and think up the most creative solutions for their classrooms. If you have any questions, you can ask me anything in the comments below.

If you need me to create custom printables for math, you can ask me at my TpT store, Nyla’s Crafty Teaching. Just click on any of the printables listed there and then go to the ‘Ask Me a Question’ section to reach me.