What Is a Number Story in Mathematics?

By Staff WriterLast Updated April 02, 2020

A number story is a short story that illustrates a math equation, making it easier for young students to understand the equation involved. For example, the equation 5+2=7 can be told as a story about five birds sitting on a tree that were joined by two more birds.

Teachers sometimes ask students to describe simple equations in the form of a number story. Besides increasing the child’s understanding of the equation and encouraging creativity, the activity can also be used to improve a child’s drawing skills by illustrating the story. Number stories are typically written or drawn for simple arithmetic operations such as addition and subtraction. Some examples of number stories include:

There were two children at home and then one went out to play. Now there is only one child in the house.
Andrew had four toy cars. His aunt gave him two more for Christmas. Now he has six.