We have three simple, ready-to-go activities for you to use as lesson starters, form time or anywhere you need a calm, focused beginning. They’re quick to dip into, easy to repeat, and flexible enough to use in different ways. Sometimes, that’s all you need to get things moving.

1. NumBots Scrapheap Stories

2. Bot Trumps

Bot Trumps is a simple card game for two or more players, featuring our bright and fun NumBots characters. Each card comes with scores for positivity, courage, determination and resilience, making it easy to play and quick to pick up.

Access by logging in and heading to Downloads > Activities.

3. Represent

Kick off your lesson with our free card game, designed to familiarise students with the different representations used in the classroom.

Access by logging in and heading to Downloads > Activities.

If you can, please share any photos of your class using our activities to support@mathscircle.com, or our social media channels:

X – @NumBots
Instagram – @numbots
Facebook – NumBots

Maths Week London’s mission is to ignite a love of maths in children across the capital. Numeracy is a vital skill and we believe it can and should be enjoyable, relatable and accessible.

This year, our aim is to highlight why maths is important to engage with from a young age to help develop practical skills. We want to show how making maths relevant can also make it fun and how it can enable success in all areas of everyday life.

Maths Week London aims to:

• boost confidence in mathematics and encourage a positive attitude 
• demonstrate the value of maths as a lifelong skill by linking it to the wider world
• encourage all young people and adults to develop their maths skills and become confident mathematicians not just at school but in everyday life. 

We are delighted to be supporting Maths Week London, taking place 23rd – 27th June 2025.

FOR NUMBOTS, WE ARE OFFERING A FREE GAME: BREAK IT TO MAKE IT!

Boost number skills with this interactive problem-solving game! Play it in the classroom, on the playground, or at home!

NumBots game pack includes:
 Instructions
Challenge extension
Key learning objectives

For Times Tables Rock Stars, London Rocks will be returning from Tuesday 24th June to Thursday 26th June!

For schools based in Greater London, we have a 3-day competition where schools battle it out to become the number 1 school in London at times tables (and division)!

To sign up your school (free for TTRS subscribers), click the link below:

Visit the website to:

● download a range of free resources.
● register to attend free events.
● take part in one of the Maths Week London contests and competitions.

Join in the celebration and register below to take part!

2. Use Scrapheap Stories for motivation

3. Introduce small group or paired play to enhance collaboration

4. Customise their progression using Story Controls

• If certain levels are too hard, temporarily turn off those skills via Story Controls and allow them to consolidate before reintroducing them later.
• Be mindful that when skills are reactivated, they may be bounced back to earlier levels covering those skills.

5. Introduce ‘NumBots Exploration Time’

6. Celebrate small wins & personal bests

• Beyond certificates, download personalised achievement resources where students track their own progress and personal bests. You can download our NumBots Stage Colouring sheets here.
• Focus on effort and persistence rather than just progression.

2. Generic Certificates

3. Encouragement Stickers

Share your stories with us; we’d love to see how you’re using our certificates and stickers to celebrate success! For more tips or advice, drop us an email at support@mathscircle.com.

1. Bridging between Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract

Because Bar Models closely resemble classroom manipulatives (such as dienes and blocks), they make the jump from using physical objects, to representing maths problems pictorially, far less daunting.

They are also incredibly flexible: to begin with we can incorporate images of objects or present the bar as a ruler with units of measurement, for example. Gradually we can remove the pictures and children will still understand that the numbers and length of the bars represent a physical value.

2. Explaining the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction

Bar Models make solving missing number questions simple – if a child knows two of the values in a question, they can always calculate the other. This understanding also helps them recognise number bonds in different forms, such as when the “equals” sign is in a different position, giving them the confidence to tackle unfamiliar questions.

3. Proving Commutativity

Commutative law states that, in addition and multiplication sums, we can swap the two numbers around and the answer will still be the same (i.e. that “8 + 4” is equal to “4 + 8”). We can use bar models to prove this to the children, as they can see that the bars are the same length, whichever way around the parts are.

4. Addition: Aggregation

Bar Models are particularly powerful at showing that when two (or more) numbers come together, they make another number. They are helpful at explaining that part + part = whole, and are a nice stepping stone onto the more abstract “cherry” part-whole model.

5. Addition: Augmentation

Rephrase questions involving Bar Models to make them less intimidating, such as asking how long the bar will be when another part is added onto it. (We can also use Bar Models to explore the inverse operation, by asking how long the bar would be if part was taken away, or how much of the bar would remain.)

Tip: Bar Models can be very effective when used in conjunction with number lines, as both representations present horizontally.

6. Subtraction: Calculating the difference

As the Bar Model is a spatial representation, it enables children to visualise the physical difference between two values which, in turn, helps them work out how much they need to add onto the subtrahend bar in order to make it the same length as the minuend bar above. This can be done by counting up to the next multiple of ten, then by adding the tens, and then any ones.

7. Partitioning numbers in different ways

When it comes to partitioning numbers – especially into tens and ones – the Bar Model is an invaluable tool. Ask the children to draw how many different ways they could partition a two digit number into tens and ones. (They could use physical Dienes blocks for support.)

8. Representing larger numbers

Unlike many other pictorial representations, where each “one” is represented by an individual object, Bar Models are able to efficiently represent three and four digit numbers. By reusing this rare spatial representation throughout their mathematical journey, we help children to spot patterns and similarities between topics, as they tackle increasingly complex problems.

9. Making comparisons (and tackling word problems) 

Because they represent values spatially, Bar Models explicitly show the difference in size between two values; this can be useful for proving that one number is more or less than another.

Children can draw Bar Models to help visualise word problems or explain their workings, right through to KS4 – especially for problem solving questions that ask whether there is enough of something, or how much of something is required.

10. Introducing fractions

By using a representation the children are already familiar with, we can make the jump to learning about fractions less daunting as children know they’ve seen something similar before.

Bar Models also encourage children to use the correct terminology when talking about fractions from the start. They immediately recognise that halves are two equal parts of a whole, and that quarters are four equal parts of a whole.

BONUS TIP: Show your pupils how to freehand draw Bar Models fairly accurately, so that they can use them to estimate answers to addition, subtraction and number bond questions. By helping children predict what the approximate value will be, Bar Models are really useful for supporting children to quickly check their work by flagging any obvious mistakes.

Why heatmaps are useful for parents’ consultations

When preparing for discussions with parents, heatmaps provide clear, easy-to-understand data that can guide the conversation. Here’s how they help:

Make the most out of heatmaps and turn those parent consultations into data driven conversations! For more information on interpreting NumBots data, visit the guide below: 

2. Aim for Short Sessions

We aim for just three minutes of NumBots each day. While it might not seem like much, this short duration fits perfectly into our morning routine. My daughter enjoys completing three Challenge modes (each for one minute long) independently during this time she chooses which challenges to tackle, allowing her to lead her own learning.

3. A Story Level a Day

Beyond the three minutes of daily practice in either Story or Challenge mode (whatever they feel like doing), my children aim to pass one Story level a day. Some levels can be tricky, so if they start to feel frustrated, one parent is always there to lend a hand by reading the question together, walking them through the answer, or trying to find clues on how to pass it.

4. Keeping it Positive

If frustration does creep in (and let’s face it, during the busy school week, that’s likely), we take a breather. We might explore the cool badges they’ve earned, build a bot in the Custom Shack, or listen to one of the many growth mindset audio stories. It’s a reminder that learning should be enjoyable, even when we’re busy or tired!

5. Weekend Break Time

We take a break from NumBots over the weekend. This break helps them recharge for the week ahead and keeps NumBots sessions fresh and exciting when Monday rolls around!

Those are my top tips for integrating NumBots at home seamlessly – practice at home feels effortless and enjoyable! And relax!

via GIPHY

If you want to set your school up with MyLogin SSO, give the friendly team at Wonde an email: hello@mylogin.com

Don’t use Wonde but want to know more? Click below…👇👇👇

Thanks for watching! Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more exclusive tips, tricks, and invaluable insights!😎

The stories can be enjoyed together as a whole class (or school) via YouTube, or if your class have access to individual headphones and tablets, you can set them up to listen on any main streaming platform. Whilst they are listening, they can enjoy the accompanying creative activity.🎨✂✏

Now you’re caught up on the what and the why’s, let’s start on the when’s! Here are eight ways to use the NumBots Scrapheap Stories during school:

2. Wet play

☔ The bad news is, it’s raining outside…but the good news is, you can still bring some sunshine into your classroom! ☀️

This is the perfect opportunity to enjoy the creative worksheets!

Best way to listen: YouTube

3. PSHE or Values lessons

The stories promote values similar to those that you might teach at school: respect, perseverance, teamwork, resilience as well as others.

The aim of the stories is to give children a takeaway that can help them develop positive mindsets for learning and for life! They provide children with reference points to turn to in their own lives when they face a challenge. That’s why they are the perfect PSHE teaching tool!

Best way to listen: YouTube or Spotify (with headphones)

4. Once the class has finished their NumBots practice

Does your class have a tendency to finish their NumBots or maths practice quickly? If you’ve got 10 minutes to spare at the end of the lesson, reward your students with a 10 minute growth mindset story.

Best way to listen: Spotify (with headphones)

5. Storytelling lessons

NumBots may provide core maths skills, but the NumBots Scrapheap Stories can act as a literacy tool. Audio stories have been found to improve reading fluency in children, as well as helping them develop emotional skills. We’ve also provided the transcripts for each story so students can learn to read alongside the narration.

Helpful articles:
EdSurge: Breaking Barriers to Literacy: Using Audiobooks to Overcome Reading Challenges

National Literacy Trust: We release research review on the benefits of audiobooks on literacy

Best way to listen: YouTube or Spotify (with headphones)

6. Golden Time

Do you run dedicated sessions during the week to reward good behaviour? What better way than to reward them with an uplifting, motivating robot-themed story?🤖

Best way to listen: YouTube or Spotify (with headphones)

7. Assemblies

If you promote values in assemblies then listening to one of our stories is a fun and engaging way to demonstrate growth mindsets and positive attitudes to children. Each story is approximately 10 to 15 minutes long. 🎥

Best way to listen: YouTube

Bruno Reddy, CEO:

Select a story to enjoy!👇