Foundation / Prep · original draft · teacher review pending. These are short prompts for a teacher or family supporter, not a fixed test. They can be acted with large counters, real safe objects, a ten-frame, raised pieces, drawings, spoken description or AAC. A child may choose the setting that feels familiar. Swap a setting without changing the mathematical task, and invite the child's own everyday example. The number under check is for the adult only.
Use cards 01–16 alongside the first two maths weeks. Cards 17–24 bring work towards the curriculum's at least 20 range and should follow explicit practice there. Cards 25–32 belong after addition, subtraction, sharing and grouping have been taught with materials. Do not use later cards to label an early child “behind.” For every card, ask “How do you know?” and accept a demonstrated reason, not just a spoken one. Avoid scoring language fluency, speed or pencil control as maths.
See and show: 0–5
| Card | Everyday setup and teacher prompt | Adult check and one useful follow-up |
|---|---|---|
| 01 · Empty return box | Show an empty box that is meant for library cards. “How many cards are here? Show me the number in another way.” | 0. The box exists but the collection is empty. Put one card in, then remove it; ask what changed. |
| 02 · One key tag | Place one large pretend key tag on a mat. “How many? Find its numeral.” | 1. Change the tag's position; ask if the number changes. Use a drawing, not a real household key. |
| 03 · Two drum taps | Make two visible taps or play two optional chimes. “Show the same amount with counters.” | 2. Repeat with silent visible taps so hearing is never required. |
| 04 · Three cups in a picture | Draw three separate cups. “How many do you see? Could you show three without drawing cups?” | 3. Fingers, counters, marks or an AAC numeral all work. No real drink is needed. |
| 05 · Four path stones | Put four large flat counters in a square. “How many? What did you see together?” | 4. Two pairs is one possible explanation; do not require the exact phrase. Rearrange into a row and ask again. |
| 06 · Five garden leaves | Draw or lay five paper leaf shapes as three above two. “How many? Show me a different arrangement of the same number.” | 5. A 3+2 grouping is possible. Keep the five pieces, move them, and ask if the amount changed. |
| 07 · Four lights | Show four dark circles as two close pairs, then cover them. “What did you notice? Choose a numeral card.” | 4. Let the child look again. If they count each dot, record counting and practise seeing two pairs; do not claim visual subitising yet. |
| 08 · Five seats | Draw five seats around a table as four and one. “How many seats? Point to groups that helped.” | 5. Four-and-one or two-and-three are valid group descriptions. No learner needs to draw a table accurately. |
Build and count: 0–10
| Card | Everyday setup and teacher prompt | Adult check and one useful follow-up |
|---|---|---|
| 09 · Parcel desk | A paper order says 6. “Make six pretend parcels. Touch each once as you count.” | 6. Observe one count word per parcel and the final total. Reorder the same six and ask again. |
| 10 · Art kit | A kit needs 7 paper shapes. “Build the kit and choose a numeral card.” | 7. Compare a row of 7 with a tight cluster of the same 7. |
| 11 · Community garden labels | A tray needs 8 blank plant labels. “Make eight with five first, then more.” | 8 = 5+3 on a frame. For children who have not learnt parts yet, simply count and match numeral 8. |
| 12 · Bus seat markers | A toy bus has spaces for 9 seat markers. “Place nine counters. How will you check?” | 9. A ten-frame has one space empty; a one-by-one recount is also valid. The bus is imaginary, so no transport experience is assumed. |
| 13 · Game pieces | A game box needs 10 pieces. “Make ten, then move them into two groups. Is it still ten?” | 10. Discuss conserving the quantity after moving, not a required split. |
| 14 · No instruments today | Show an empty music basket and a card 0. “What would make this basket show one instead?” | 0, then add one item. A silent/no-instrument situation is not used as an audio detection test. |
| 15 · Shelf labels | Put numeral cards 3, 5, 4 out of order. “Put them in counting order. Where would 0 go?” | 0, 3, 4, 5 among these cards; do not imply missing 1 and 2 are present. Extend with all cards 0–5 for a continuous sequence. |
| 16 · Sports cones | Put 8 large counters on a mat, then spread them farther apart. “Did the amount change? Prove it.” | 8 both times. Pair or recount; a longer-looking row is not necessarily more. |
Count, order and compare towards 20
Use enough physical objects for an independent check. A written numeral without a built collection is a different piece of evidence. These cards address part of AC9MFN01 and AC9MFN03's at least 20 range.
| Card | Everyday setup and teacher prompt | Adult check and one useful follow-up |
|---|---|---|
| 17 · Library returns | Box A has 11 paper book tokens, box B has 13. “Which has more? Show me how you know.” | B by 2. Pair and count leftovers, or compare the number names after counting. |
| 18 · Building blocks | One builder has 12 blocks; another has 12 spread wider. “Same or different amount?” | Same. Match one-to-one; spacing is irrelevant. |
| 19 · Walking markers | Lay 14 large floor markers in a safe line, or move a counter along a paper strip. “Where is 14 on the number path? What comes just before?” | 13 before 14. Seated/tabletop route is equivalent for ordering; no movement ability is scored. |
| 20 · Art display | One board has 15 child-made shapes; another has 10. “Which board has more shapes? How many more?” | 15; five more. If the difference question is new, ask only which has more and model pairing. |
| 21 · Garden pots | A picture has 16 pots in two rows of eight. “Count them carefully. Would a single row change the number?” | 16, no. Count by ones or pair marks; multiplication is not the target. |
| 22 · Tool tokens | A pretend tool station has 17 tokens and a second has 19. “Which has fewer? How could you check?” | 17 is fewer, by 2. Build two ten-frames plus leftover pieces, or pair objects. |
| 23 · Travel cards | There are 18 paper tickets on a mat; a new picture shows 20. “Show 18 on your path, then 20. Which is greater?” | 20 is greater. Use real counters before numeral-only comparison if needed. Tickets are pretend and carry no private details. |
| 24 · The empty and full boxes | Box A has 0 counters; box B has 20. “Make both amounts. Which has more? How do you know?” | B. Zero is the empty collection, not the absent box. Follow with a nearer pair such as 19 and 20. |
Add, take away, share and group within 10
These belong later in the year after concrete introduction. A drawing or story may make the context engaging; the child still needs a way to represent the action, not merely recite a fact.
| Card | Everyday setup and teacher prompt | Adult check and one useful follow-up |
|---|---|---|
| 25 · Paintbrush tray | “There are 4 pretend paintbrush tokens on a tray. We add 2. Show what happens.” | 6. Build 4, add 2, count total. Change context to library cards if painting is unfamiliar. |
| 26 · Repair kit | “A toy repair kit has 7 paper tools. We put 3 away. How many stay out?” | 4. Physically remove 3. Ask the child to retell the action before solving. |
| 27 · Music stands | “3 stands are here and 3 more arrive. Make the new collection.” | 6. Show 3 and 3 together; compare with a 4+2 way to make 6 if ready. |
| 28 · Picture display | “A display has 9 paper stars. One is moved into a folder. How many stay on the display?” | 8. The moved star still exists, but it is no longer in the displayed collection. |
| 29 · Two game boards | “Share 8 large counters equally between two boards. Show how you know each board has the same number.” | 4 each. Deal one to each in turn, then compare collections. Equal counter totals answer this maths question; real-life fairness may require another conversation. |
| 30 · Three marker cups | “Put 6 marker tokens equally into three drawn cups.” | 2 each. Group with physical counters; no real sharp/loose small items are needed. |
| 31 · Pairs of socks | “There are 10 paper sock cards. Make groups of two. How many groups?” | 5 groups. An invented paper set avoids needing a particular family clothing context. |
| 32 · One left over | “Try to share 9 large counters equally between two boards. What do you notice?” | 4 each, 1 left over if whole counters stay whole. This is an optional challenge; talk about what “equal” means rather than forcing a division symbol. |
One-minute adaptation routine
- Keep the mathematical action and quantity range fixed. Change the setting to something the child recognises or chooses: art, sport, a shared room, buses, plants, tools, songs, books, caring for animals, a game, or an imaginary world.
- Offer at least two ways to perceive the setup (for example, object + spoken description) and two ways to show a reason (for example, move pieces + point/sign/say). Ask the learner what helps; make documented individual adjustments with the family and school team as needed.
- Write down the exact strategy used and the next small step. One correct answer after a strong prompt is practice evidence, not an independent score.
Source and reuse: ACARA Foundation Mathematics codes AC9MFN01–06 in the Australian Curriculum v9 workbook (downloaded 29 September 2026; original source SHA-256 db446882d2c00cf7c085a03e250e2442fda6c44011fc114680c46c1dc7a822c3). Exact source text retains ACARA's own terms. © NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd 2026, “SubjectNest Foundation Number Story Bank”, version 0.1.0-draft. This bank's original contexts, prompts and wording are CC BY 4.0; credit SubjectNest by NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd, link the source and licence, and note changes. Design draws on AERO early numeracy guidance; it has not been classroom tested. No third-party picture, worksheet, sound or story is reused. A state/territory teacher must verify the locally adopted syllabus/version.