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Literacy and numeracy

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Daily challenges

Challenge yourself, your class or your whole school with our Literacy and Numeracy Week daily challenges.

Daily selfie challenge

Challenge yourself, your class or your whole school to complete our daily selfie challenges. Each challenge encourages you to discover the literacy and numeracy that surrounds us every day while having fun and getting creative.

  • Monday 31 August 2026 – How many can you fit?
    Take a selfie with as many people as you can fit into one photo.
  • Tuesday 1 September 2026 – Number hunt
    Take a selfie that includes as many different numbers as you can find.
  • Wednesday 2 September 2026 – Word collector
    Take a selfie that captures as many words as possible.
  • Thursday 3 September 2026 – Pattern and shape spotter
    Take a selfie featuring as many patterns and 2D or 3D shapes as you can find.
  • Friday 4 September 2026 – The ultimate literacy and numeracy selfie
    Can you capture all of these in one selfie?
    • A number
    • A letter or word
    • A shape
    • Something you can measure
    • Your favourite book.

Share your selfie with your school community or on social media using #LoveWhereYouLearn. We can’t wait to see the creative ways schools across NSW bring literacy and numeracy to life!

Statewide Staffroom literacy and numeracy challenges

Celebrate how every day counts and every word matters with a new literacy or numeracy challenge each day of Literacy and Numeracy Week. Designed to be quick, engaging and easy to use, the challenges are a fun way to spark discussion, curiosity creative thinking in your classroom.

A new challenge will be shared each day in the Literacy Statewide Staffroom and Numeracy Statewide Staffroom throughout the week.

Not yet a member? Literacy statewide staffroom (staff only) and Numeracy statewide staffroom (staff only) so you don't miss out.

Literacy and numeracy games

Dive into the wonderful world of numbers, letters, words and stories with some exciting literacy and numeracy games.

Literacy game day – Tuesday 1 September

Bring the excitement of a game show into your classroom with Literacy showdown – a ready-to-use, stage-based word puzzle game that engages students in exploring curriculum vocabulary, phrases and famous quotes.

Looking for more ways to celebrate? Explore Literacy game ideas.

Convince me!

Develop speaking, listening and persuasive language skills.

How to play

  • Present a fun statement, for example, Homework should only happen on weekends or Books are better than movies.
  • Give students one minute to prepare their argument.
  • Students take turns convincing a partner, group or class.
  • Vote for the most convincing argument and discuss the persuasive techniques used.

Emoji book challenge

Develop comprehension and oral language by interpreting and creating visual representations of texts.

How to play

  • Display a book title, story or nursery rhyme represented only by emojis.
  • Students work individually or in teams to identify the text.
  • Invite students to create their own emoji clues for classmates to solve.
  • Variation: Challenge students to represent a chapter, character or scene using emojis.

Great sentence makeover

Strengthen sentence construction by adding detail, precision and descriptive language.

How to play

  • Display a simple sentence, for example, ‘The dog ran’.
  • Challenge students to improve the sentence by adding descriptive language, precise vocabulary and varied sentence structures while keeping the original meaning.
  • Compare the different versions and discuss how the changes improve the writing.
  • Variation: Award points for the most creative, descriptive or engaging sentence.

Headline challenge

Develop creativity and summarising skills by writing engaging headlines.

How to play

  • Display an interesting or unusual image.
  • Challenge students to write a newspaper headline describing what is happening.
  • Invite students to share and compare their headlines.
  • Variation: Write the opening paragraph of the news story.

Odd one out

Develop vocabulary and oral language by identifying relationships between words and justifying thinking.

How to play

  • Display 4 related words, for example, ‘seed’, ‘flower’, ‘stem’, ‘butterfly’.
  • Students identify which word they think is the odd one out.
  • Students justify their choice using evidence and reasoning.
  • Encourage discussion by exploring multiple possible answers.

Six-word story challenge

Develop creativity, vocabulary and concise writing by telling a complete story in just six words.

How to play

  • Provide students with a prompt, image or topic, for example, ‘lost at sea’, ‘a magical key’.
  • Challenge students to write a story using exactly six words.
  • Invite students to share their stories and discuss how different word choices create different meanings.
  • Display the stories around the classroom or school.

Word detective

Build vocabulary by exploring the meaning and use of new words.

How to play

  • Hide interesting or unfamiliar words around the classroom or school.
  • Students search for the words and record each one they find.
  • Students infer the meaning of each word using clues or dictionaries.
  • Challenge students to use each word in a sentence or short paragraph.

Numeracy game day – Thursday 3 September

Celebrate Numeracy game day with our hands-on, minds-on fun that bring numbers and problem-solving to life.

Spark multiplicative thinking

Encourage curiosity and mathematical thinking with this engaging visual prompt. Students can notice, wonder, estimate, count, compare and justify their thinking while exploring a range of mathematical concepts. Download the image and accompanying discussion prompts to spark rich mathematical conversations throughout Literacy and Numeracy Week and beyond.

Looking for more ways to celebrate? Explore numeracy game ideas.

Build it!

Develop spatial reasoning and mathematical communication.

How to play

  • One student secretly builds a model using blocks, cubes or connecting bricks.
  • Without showing the model, they describe how to build it using mathematical language.
  • Their partner follows the instructions to recreate the model.
  • Compare the models and discuss how clear mathematical communication supports accuracy.

Data detectives

Collect, represent and interpret data.

How to play

  • Pose a simple question to investigate, for example, ‘How do students travel to school?’
  • Students collect data from classmates.
  • Represent the data using a graph or table.
  • Discuss what the data shows and identify interesting observations.

Estimation station

Develop estimation skills by making, justifying and refining estimates.

How to play

  • Set up stations around the classroom with jars, collections of objects or measurement challenges.
  • Students estimate the number, length, mass or capacity at each station and record their reasoning.
  • Reveal the actual answers and compare estimates.
  • Discuss which estimation strategies were most effective.

Fermi challenge

Develop estimation, reasoning and problem-solving using real-world questions.

How to play

  • Present a question with no exact answer, for example, ‘How many tennis balls would fit in the classroom?’
  • Students make assumptions, estimate and explain their thinking.
  • Compare different approaches and discuss which assumptions were most reasonable.
  • Variation: Compare estimates with the actual answer where possible.

Maths mystery

Apply mathematical reasoning to solve a series of clues.

How to play

  • Present students with a mathematical mystery or problem.
  • Students work in teams to solve each clue.
  • Each correct answer unlocks the next clue.
  • The first team to solve the mystery wins.

Notice and wonder

Develop curiosity, reasoning and mathematical discussion.

How to play

  • Display an image, graph, pattern or collection of objects.
  • Students record what they notice and what they wonder.
  • Share ideas as a class and identify the mathematics within the discussion.
  • Extension: Investigate one of the wonder questions together.

Which one doesn't belong?

Develop mathematical reasoning by identifying patterns, relationships and justifying thinking.

How to play

  • Display 4 numbers, shapes or representations, for example, 12, 15, 18, 19.
  • Students identify which one they think doesn't belong.
  • Students justify their choice using mathematical reasoning.
  • Encourage discussion by exploring multiple possible answers.

More numeracy games ideas

Resource spotlights

During Literacy and Numeracy Week we will be highlighting some of our resources, professional learning opportunities and assessments.

You can engage with sessions individually or with your colleagues.

Ways to celebrate at your school

Here are some fun suggestions for celebrating literacy and numeracy week in your school.

  • Create a whole-school display celebrating the many ways literacy and numeracy are used every day. Invite students to add one example each day of how they used literacy or numeracy outside the classroom, such as reading a recipe, counting change, measuring ingredients, reading a bus timetable or writing a shopping list. By the end of the week, your display will showcase hundreds of authentic examples, reinforcing that literacy and numeracy are part of everyday life.
  • Reveal a different mystery item each day of Literacy and Numeracy Week, such as a measuring tape, dice, shopping docket, compass, cookbook or bus timetable. Invite students to discuss how literacy and numeracy are used with the item, encouraging them to make real-world connections and explain their thinking.
  • Ask students to interview family members, asking how they use literacy and numeracy at home and to report back on their findings.
  • Literacy and Numeracy - Which one do you prefer? Ask students which is their favourite and consider making a short video of their responses. Watch our Literacy and Numeracy - Which one do you prefer? video from 2025 for inspiration!

  • Invite guest speakers, parents and carers to share their experiences with literacy and numeracy in their workplace. Speakers could share insights into how they use literacy and numeracy skills in their everyday work, giving students the opportunity to learn from people in various fields.
  • Have fun with a literacy and numeracy scavenger hunt. Create a list of literacy and numeracy related items for students to find around the school. This can include finding words, punctuation marks, scales, a calculator, a dictionary or anything else that involves literacy and numeracy.
  • Make the week memorable with a literacy and numeracy themed dress-up day, where students can come to school dressed in something that represents literacy or numeracy.
  • Showcase literacy and numeracy in your school. Encourage classes to create a presentation or display of students’ work that highlights their literacy and numeracy skills.
  • Organise a literacy and numeracy book swap, where students can bring in gently used books to exchange with their classmates.
  • Challenge students to integrate their literacy and numeracy skills to create a new cereal box that stands out on the shelves and attracts consumers. Students will need to use literacy to communicate the product's features and numeracy to ensure accurate measurements, packaging, calculations, and pricing. Ask students to:
    • suggest a new cereal, give the cereal a creative name and write a short description convincing customers to buy it.
    • create a brand and slogan for the cereal that communicates the product's key features or benefits.
    • write a clear and concise description of the cereal, highlighting its ingredients, flavours, and nutritional value.
    • include any necessary information such as, serving suggestions, allergen warnings, and contact details.
    • calculate and accurately represent the dimensions of the cereal box, including length, width, and height.
    • determine the pricing strategy for the cereal box, considering factors like production costs, profit margins, and potential discounts.
    • present their cereal box for peer feedback.

Parent, carer and families resources

Support families to celebrate Literacy and Numeracy Week at home with our bingo challenge. Designed for different year groups, each bingo board includes simple, engaging activities that show how literacy and numeracy are part of everyday life. Download 'Literacy and numeracy week bingo’ and share with your school community.

Communication toolkit for schools

Literacy and Numeracy Week is a great opportunity to celebrate the achievements and progress of your students, staff and school community in these foundational areas of learning.

Use your school website, newsletter, social media platforms and other communication channels to share the excitement of Literacy and Numeracy Week and showcase what literacy and numeracy mean to your school. Celebrate the many ways your school is building confident, capable learners every day.

Use the hashtag #LoveWhereYouLearn in your social media posts. Follow the tips in the department’s staff social media toolkit (staff only) and ensure you have consent to publish.

Key messages

Use or adapt the following messages to celebrate Literacy and Numeracy Week with your school community.

  • This week we celebrate Literacy and Numeracy Week, a time to recognise the essential literacy and numeracy skills that support learning every day and help students thrive at school and beyond.
  • Literacy and Numeracy Week is an opportunity to celebrate the incredible work happening in classrooms every day, recognising the expertise of our teachers and the achievements of our students.
  • Together, we're building strong foundations in literacy and numeracy, empowering every student to grow, think critically and succeed.

Images and templates

You can use the following 2026 Literacy and Numeracy Week digital assets (staff only) in your school newsletters, social media or presentations.

Social media

Use or adapt the following social media templates to celebrate Literacy and Numeracy Week with your school community. Simply add your own photos, videos or stories to showcase how literacy and numeracy come to life in your school.

We're celebrating Literacy and Numeracy Week and recognising the many ways literacy and numeracy are part of learning every day.

Every day counts, every word matters.

#LoveWhereYouLearn

Today's Literacy and Numeracy Week Selfie Challenge encouraged our students to think differently about literacy and numeracy. We're enjoying seeing these skills come to life in creative ways across our school.

#LoveWhereYouLearn

Today we're celebrating Literacy game day! Students are solving word puzzles, sharing ideas and having fun with language as part of Literacy and Numeracy Week.

#LoveWhereYouLearn

Today we're celebrating Numeracy game day! Students are estimating, reasoning and solving problems while exploring how mathematics is part of everyday life.

#LoveWhereYouLearn

We're extending the celebrations beyond the classroom with the family bingo challenge, encouraging families to discover the many ways literacy and numeracy are part of everyday life.

#LoveWhereYouLearn

What a fantastic week celebrating Literacy and Numeracy!

Thank you to everyone who joined in our activities and helped celebrate the many ways literacy and numeracy are part of learning every day. We're proud of everything our students have achieved and look forward to continuing to build strong foundations for learning.

#LoveWhereYouLearn

Category:

  • Literacy and numeracy

Business Unit:

  • Teaching and Learning Support
Page details

Last modified date
13/11/2026
Business unit contact email
literacy.numeracy@det.nsw.edu.au
Executive director
Jason Miezis
Executive director’s business unit
Teaching Learning&Student Wellbeing
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