Number sequences help students practise more than counting on. They need to notice the change between terms, decide whether the sequence is increasing or decreasing, and use that rule to find the missing number.
The Daily Maths Review number sequences app keeps that practice focused. Teachers can choose the range, counting step and direction so students work on the exact pattern skill they need.
Start with the rule
Before students enter the missing number, ask them to say the rule. Is the sequence going forwards or backwards? Is it counting by ones, twos, fives or tens? This small pause turns the task into pattern reasoning rather than guessing.
- Use forwards counting when students are first finding the step.
- Use backwards counting to check whether they understand the same step in reverse.
- Use skip counting before multiples or multiplication facts.
- Use mixed direction when students are ready to choose the rule independently.
Choose the range deliberately
A sequence to 20 can be a quick confidence builder. A sequence to 100 is useful for most primary skip-counting work. A sequence to 1000 brings in place value, especially when students count backwards or cross hundreds.
Run three forwards sequences, pause to name the step, then switch to backwards with the same count-by value.
Use answers to choose the next model
If students miss count-by-one sequences, return to a number line or hundreds chart. If they miss skip counting, mark the jumps visually. If backwards sequences cause errors, model the same sequence aloud before returning to independent practice.