Note: Because most adults already have developed sophisticated number concepts in their native language, teaching numbers is a matter of manipulating numbers in ESL. The following suggested activities can be carried out in any order. Better results will be obtained if the instructor teacher several brief (5 to 10 minute) lessons on numbers rather than one or two long ones.

Activity 1:

Write the numbers on the board and have students repeat them in chorus or name them as you point to the number.

Pitch a ball or eraser to a student and count "one". He must throw it to another student and count "two", etc.

Have students do simple addition problems orally, e.g. 1+1=2, 2+2=4.

Activity 4:

Play bingo. Have each student take a piece of paper and fold it in half four times. Have them unfold the paper and randomly write a number in each rectangle. Call out numbers and let the students mark an "x" across the number if they have it. The first to get four x's in a row wins.