Subitise Small Collections
Subitising means seeing how many there are at a glance — without counting one by one. Dots flash on screen briefly. Your job is to recognise the total instantly. Your brain can do this with practice — it is a real maths skill!
Worked examples
How many dots did you see?
Two dots flash on screen. Don't count — just look at the whole group. Two dots together is easy to recognise at a glance. Say 'two' straight away.
Answer: 2
How many dots did you see?
Three dots flash on screen. Look at the whole group — not each dot separately. Three dots in a triangle shape is very common. Your brain will start to know '3' instantly.
Answer: 3
How many dots did you see?
Five dots flash on screen. Instead of counting, try to see them as 'a group of 5'. With practice, 5 scattered dots will feel just as instant as 2 or 3. If you're unsure, it's OK to count this time.
Answer: 5
Tips
- •Don't count one by one — try to see the whole group at once.
- •Start with small numbers (1, 2, 3) — these are easy to see instantly.
- •If you're not sure, use 'Show again' — your brain will get faster over time.
- •Subitising is like reading: you don't sound out every letter, you see the whole word.