Numbers to twenty
Maths · Early Years · The School
Counting past ten
After ten comes eleven. Then twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen and twenty. Eleven and twelve are the tricky ones. They do not sound like the numbers inside them. From thirteen the pattern helps you. THREE-teen. FOUR-teen. FIVE-teen. And so on.
One number for each thing
When you count things, say one number for each thing. The last number you say is how many there are. Do not count the same thing twice. Do not skip one. Touch each thing as you count it. Moving each one helps too. That keeps your count honest. Go slow. A fast count is often a wrong count. Slow and sure beats fast and wrong.
Which is bigger
Numbers get bigger as you count. Fifteen comes after eleven. So fifteen is bigger. A number line on the wall shows this. Bigger numbers sit further to the right. You can see the gap between two numbers. You are not just told about it. You can see it for real, right there on the wall.
Which is bigger, 13 or 17? They are both teens. You cannot tell by looking. Count out loud. Eleven, twelve, THIRTEEN, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, SEVENTEEN. Seventeen came later. So seventeen is bigger. Now check on a number line. 17 sits further to the right. Now check with cubes. Build 13. Build 17. Stand them side by side. The 17 tower is four cubes taller. Counting, number line, cubes. Three ways, and they always agree.