Digital Number Line Games Improve Number Sense and Basic Arithmetic Skills Among Young Children

The main purpose of teaching number sense to young children is to establish a core knowledge framework for number concepts, thereby enabling young children to understand a wide range of number problems and providing a basis for children to learn more complex number concepts in the future. Number sense is also fundamental for learning formal mathematics later in life. Studies have associated a lack of number sense in early childhood with a subsequent decline and difficulty in mathematical learning. Therefore, cultivating number sense in early childhood is essential for future mathematics achievement. The development of young children's numerical cognition and mathematical skills is closely linked to the establishment of a mental number line. Additionally, studies have discovered a strong correlation between an individual's innate perception of the mental number line and their proficiency in a range of mathematical abilities, including understanding number concepts, estimating quantities, and performing arithmetic. With the goal of developing young children's number sense and basic arithmetic skills, this study designed a set of targeted intervention tools in the form of digital number line games. These tools were designed to help young children develop an understanding of mental number lines, thereby improving their number sense and basic arithmetic skills. This study also compared the