Five ways to get involved with National Numeracy Day this year

The National Numeracy Challenge is a free online resource designed to help users improve their everyday maths skills in manageable steps.

You might want to quickly check your numeracy levels, improve your skills or identify strengths and weaknesses.

The Challenge has been updated with a brand-new look, an even quicker way to check your skills, and videos to show that however you feel about maths, you’re not alone.

So far, more than 280,000 users have registered to find out their numeracy level – get involved today!

The National Numeracy Day Virtual Festival on May 13 will include a packed schedule of online events to help with numeracy while the nation is at home.

Three new themes have been introduced to be pertinent right now: helping children to learn; improving self-confidence and skills; and weathering the storm, financially.

Learners of all ages will share their experiences, tips and attitudes on the benefits of numeracy. Activities include free, virtual drop-in sessions, workshops, talks and much more.

To mark National Numeracy Day, Alexa users can access useful information and resources about numeracy and the event with a range of different commands such as:

“Alexa, why is maths important?”

“Alexa, tell me a joke about maths”

“Alexa, rap about pi”

Alexa users can also open the skill Maths Coach, which keeps your mathematical brain active with five levels of difficulty. To get started, use a phrase like “Alexa, ask the Maths Coach to start a test” or “Alexa, ask the Maths Coach for a hard addition test”.

Ask Alexa today to find out more!

Amazon Future Engineer, launched last year, is our comprehensive classroom-to-career programme to inspire, educate and enable children and young adults from lower-income backgrounds to try computer science.

The programme includes engaging free resources and opportunities for primary schools, secondary schools and post-18 education.

To support learners and parents while schools are closed, Amazon Future Engineer has launched a free virtual coding programme that builds computer science skills for students aged 12 to 17.

Students can sign up today to access 20 hours of free, curriculum-linked content, which includes flying drones, designing smart cities and creating chat bots. The resources use a Python Programming Platform, exploring ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ themes, plus a moderated forum and handy FAQs. Students can also earn experience points for completing the work and earn badges when they unlock skills.

Sign up today to get involved.

We’ll be encouraging Amazon employees, friends and family to share their numeracy success stories on social media.

Whether numeracy has unlocked an exciting career path, helped you overcome a day-to-day challenge, or inspired you and your family to become the next generation of inventors – we want to hear about it!

Use the hashtags #NationalNumeracyDay, #MathsatHome and #everydaymaths to take part in the national conversation and share your success story.

For regular updates about National Numeracy Day, keep an eye on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.