Ask Your Child: What Is the Difference Between a Digit and a Number?

By Gamer School — where maths is about meaning, not memorisation.

A simple question

Ask your child: “What is the difference between a digit and a number?”Many will pause. Some will guess. Few will explain it clearly.

That pause tells us something important: in maths lessons, children often learn how to perform calculations without ever grasping what numbers really are.

Digits vs numbers

The distinction is simple but profound.

• Digits are the symbols we use: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

• Numbers are the values those digits represent, which can be combined and stretched infinitely: 12, 305, 7,496, and beyond.

Digits are the alphabet. Numbers are the words, sentences, and stories we can build with them.

Why this matters

Without that clarity, maths becomes a list of rules to memorise rather than a system of ideas to explore. Pupils may be able to follow a rigid structure — “line up the digits, carry the one” — but they don’t always know why they’re doing it.

This is why some children can solve a worksheet in class but freeze when asked to apply the same skills in a new context. They’ve learned a recipe, not the reasoning behind it.

Rote without meaning

So much of maths teaching risks becoming about speed and repetition: times tables drills, silent worksheets, test practice. While practice has its place, practice without understanding is fragile. When pupils forget the steps, the whole structure collapses.

Mastery, on the other hand, comes from meaning. When children understand that digits are building blocks, and numbers are the structures they can create, they gain the flexibility to manipulate numbers in different ways. They can break them apart, reassemble them, and see patterns others miss.

From rigid rules to flexible thinking

Research in mathematics education (Nunes & Bryant, 2009) shows that conceptual understanding — knowing the why — supports procedural fluency far better than drill alone. In other words, meaning drives mastery.

When pupils know what numbers are, not just what to do with them, they can:

• See that 305 is made of 3 hundreds, 0 tens, and 5 ones.

• Recognise that 12 can be 10 + 2, 6 + 6, or 3 × 4.

• Understand why dividing by 10 moves digits to a new place value.

These are the insights that make maths feel logical, not mysterious.

A challenge for parents and teachers

Next time you sit with your child, ask them the question: “What is the difference between a digit and a number?” If they hesitate, it’s not a failure — it’s an opportunity. An opportunity to talk about place value, about building blocks, about the language of maths.

It’s these conversations that transform maths from rote rules into reasoning.

Conclusion

Children don’t need more rigid recipes. They need meaning. Without it, they can’t manipulate numbers with confidence; they can only follow instructions. With it, they gain true mastery — the ability to flex, to play, to see connections, and to solve problems creatively.

At Gamer School, we believe maths should not be about memorising steps but about understanding ideas. Digits and numbers are different — and knowing the difference is the start of thinking like a mathematician.