Let’s visit Numberland
Your treasure trove of happy exploratory play for the precious early years, where learning blooms naturally
✓ Number Sense
✓ Mathematical Literacy
✓ Language(s)
✓ Exploratory Play
✓ Natural Development
✓ Cross Curriculum
✓ Learning Environment
✓ Continuous Provision
✓ Less Planning
Let’s visit Numberland is your easy going, informal helper for fostering a strong number sense in your 3- to 6-year-olds, while also supporting their natural overall development. All we do is set children on the right track by transforming a delightful story into exploratory, creative play filled with mathematical experiences.
This website provides everything you need to know about the Numberland concept and the key aspects of number sense it addresses. A picture book (available in 8 languages) serves as our communication starter and eye-opener. You can transform it into a tangible Numberland for group activities or use it as part of your continuous provision with optional resources such as a cut-out pack. Delve deeper with our Masterclass, which includes printable materials to expand your approach.
What is Let’s visit Numberland?
Research-based and field-proven, this joyful and valuable intermediate step nurtures children’s natural interest in mathematics. Our Numberland translates everything children need to understand about numbers into their world of play and imagination.
Numberland is irresistible and highly engaging, beloved around the globe and adaptable to any setting, because children are the same everywhere, and maths knows no language barrier! As a result, Numberland is also highly integrative, with schools worldwide using it to support language teaching alongside mathematics.
You can use it in any setting and adapt it to the needs of your children, whether as a group activity or for individual work (or both), as part of your continuous provision, in a bilingual context, or for SEN, inclusion, and therapy.
There is no conflict with any scheme your school may follow — only synergy. You can design a maths corner that is just as appealing as the home or building area, because this is where and how children learn: through creative, child-led play.
No schemes, no significant investment, instead less planning, and more cross-curricular benefits!
Imagine that the numbers zero to ten have a home, just like us:
They live as happy neighbours in Numbertown, in Numberland.
They’ve invited us over, and there’s so much to do and talk about…
A Child-Relevant Idea
Numberland translates crucial number knowledge into the emotional, imaginative children’s world and provides a meaningful, structuring context.
Proven Results
Research showed significant gains in
maths and language skills, underlined by practitioners and children worldwide.
Stories and Imaginative Play
A story is the starting point for physical visits to the home of the numbers, role-play, creative exploration, hands-on experiences.
Little input, big outcome
No scheme, no big investment. Less instead of more planning. Continuous Provision with cross-curricular effects.
Let’s visit Numberland – and the good things happen
Despite the often polarising perception of mathematics, all children begin with a natural love for it! They are eager to learn this universal language we have developed to describe our world—one that we use constantly in our daily lives.
Unfortunately, these promising beginnings are often hindered by overly formal teaching methods introduced too early, with steps that are either too large or incomplete. We take a different approach! With a relaxed and engaging style, minimal resources, and maximum enjoyment and outcomes, we bring learning to life.
Our starting point is simple yet powerful: just as we all have a home, the numbers from zero to ten can also have a home! We can explore and build this home together, playing with our number friends. But this is just the foundation for a wide range of cross-curricular activities.
The illustrations below provide examples of how you can transform a story into meaningful, child-centred play, effectively teaching key mathematical concepts in ways children can understand and enjoy. You will naturally adapt these activities to match the appropriate cognitive load for your pupils.
The pictures are merely an example of the countless possibilities. Can you already see the potential? Various number representations, organised and unorganised quantities, subitising, splitting numbers, the ordinal aspect, number bonds, five- and ten-frames, shapes… How it all connects to the world around us? The rich language opportunities it offers? How every child can participate, even those who may not yet know your language?
Numberland can support you in addressing all these key early childhood topics: number sense, subitising, numeracy, shapes, ten-frames, place value, partitioning… as well as language development, soft skills, and—most importantly—a joyful childhood filled with free play!
Welcome and herzlich willkommen!
My name is Barbara Schindelhauer. I am a mother of two, an author, a teacher trainer, and a passionate advocate for happy childhoods. My mission is to promote equal opportunities for all children and foster joyful childhoods—introducing mathematics through a child’s perspective.
Equally, I aim to lighten the load for teachers and parents. Let me show you how easily we can nurture children’s innate love for mathematics and allow the magic to happen naturally.
I am deeply committed to supporting the positive and joyful development of all children, especially during the precious and formative early years. With minimal effort, but maximum joy, creativity, and results, I believe in the power of playful learning.
In 2004, my own two children became pioneers of Numberland here in Germany. Together, we discovered the joy and potential of exploring numbers through the lens of children—embracing everything that captivates and nurtures their unique needs and interests.
That is why I have dedicated myself to making Numberland easily accessible and to continually advancing what began as a highly regarded, peer-reviewed research project. I do this in collaboration with experts, publishers, and practitioners from around the world—including inspiring individuals like you. ❤️
What is (special about) Let’s visit Numberland?
Let’s Visit Numberland is an irresistible, child-centred approach to nurturing every child’s natural love for the language of mathematics. It translates essential numerical concepts into a world that resonates with children, making maths relevant and meaningful to them, regardless of their diverse backgrounds.
In Numberland, we don’t just teach numbers and shapes; we transform abstract maths into an exciting and tangible experience! Children are inspired to engage in role-play and connect with the maths that surrounds them. After all, mathematics is a language to describe the world!
Here’s what we do: we visit the numbers in their neighbourhood, build houses for them, plant flowers in their gardens, and decorate with whatever we have or can find, indoors and outdoors. Along the way, we discuss, play, sing, and discover new things about the world together.
Through Let’s Visit Numberland, children develop a solid foundation in number sense—combined with the joy, creativity, and imaginative role-play they need for healthy, holistic development.
This open, co-constructive concept began in 2004 as a peer-reviewed scientific project led by pedagogue Dr. Gerhard Friedrich in Germany. The research demonstrated that children could advance by an entire year in just ten weeks—both in mathematics and language—regardless of their socio-economic background. Let’s Visit Numberland quickly became a standard approach in Germany, complete with a best-selling book and optional resources.
Since 2010, Numberland has evolved into an international success story, bringing joy to children and teachers in preschools worldwide.
Today, the rhyming children’s picture book My Garden is a Square serves as both an eye-opener and a conversation starter. It has already been translated into eight languages, with additional optional resources making Numberland even more accessible to a global audience.
Numberland Resources and Support for you
I am dedicated to providing you with easy access to Let’s Visit Numberland and ensuring you have the best possible experience with minimal planning. My website offers clear explanations, inspiration, and a wide array of optional resources. Simply choose what’s most relevant for your children and their unique needs!
✓ Discover the Numberland concept and how it translates all key aspects of number sense into a world that resonates with children.
✓ Begin the journey with a rhyming picture book, available in eight languages, as your communication starter and eye-opener.
✓ Transform it into a tangible Numberland using a cut-out resource or other optional materials.
✓ Delve deeper with a Masterclass, complete with printables, to enhance your Numberland experience. Explore the mathematical background, gain inspiration on how to implement Numberland, create your own resources, and learn from real-life examples. Alternatively, request a webinar or teacher training — available online or in person.
✓ Enhance your Numberland experience with a package that includes colouring sheets, a numeral writing practice, and wall posters showcasing diverse number representations. This PDF package is part of the Masterclass.
✓ A free trial set is available, featuring all resources for Number One. (Click here to access the free trial set!).
✓ Read more about the research study (peer reviewed) (click here)
✓ Find feedback from the field here
There’s no need to invest large sums of money or excessive time! Plus, you’re never left unsupported—you can choose from carefully designed books and optional resources to suit your needs.
What schools say about Let’s visit Numberland
— Hunsley Primary School, North Ferriby, UK
On first encountering Numberland’s houses and gardens, the children’s faces said it all – you often strive for awe and wonder in Early Year settings and it clearly appeared that day. The resource was used initially to help support the children’s developing understanding of each number, 1 to 10 – their counting, their quick number recognition and their emerging deeper understanding of what each number entails – as we say, ‘the fiveness of five!’.
Not only does Numberland develop number skills and mathematical knowledge, but it also enhances children’s imagination, fine motor, critical reasoning and communication skills – even their social skills – as they learn to share, collaborate and co-operate. We look forward to further exploring the many possibilities of Numberland with our new Reception class in September.
— Holleyhill Primary School, Selston (UK)
The concept of Numberland is working REALLY well for us! Reasoning and maths talk is much more prominent and interest/enthusiasm and creativity in maths is much higher than previous classes. Children are becoming ‘producers’ of maths instead of ‘consumers’. Made my own resources and added some characters borrowed from another source who live in each house. LOVE IT!
— Diane Hess, PreK teacher, Texas, USA
I had no idea that it would make such a big impact on our children. I know that we are providing our children with a strong foundation through Numberland. … Parents are reporting to us that their children are telling them that they have to be at school on the Numberland days.
And, not a day goes by that one of our children doesn’t make a reference to Numberland by pointing out the number we are on and finding objects in our world with that number or doing basic math concepts in different settings throughout our day without our prompting.
— Amy Langmead, KS1 teacher
The children absolutely love it! The idea that the children have to negotiate, reason and justify whilst relating this to numbers, is what makes it perfect for developing early, yet essential, problem-solving skills. The children are led to ‘teach’ the teacher, as it is up to them to explain why certain items are allowed in certain gardens.
This style of ‘learning and teaching’ has been proved to be the most effective. As we all know, if we get told something – a rule or a procedure – we are unlikely to retain it on a long-term basis, but if we manage to figure a rule or procedure out for ourselves, by developing links and concepts, it is more likely that we actually understand the concept, therefore it is more likely that we will retain it. This is why Numberland is absolutely perfect for teaching those early number skills.
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