Counting and Comparing Numbers up to 20
"Count with fingers, fun objects and discover numbers up to 20."
A Today you'll learn
- Count forward and backward numbers from 1 to 20 with confidence
- Compare two numbers using "greater than", "less than", or "equal to"
- Recognise before, after, and between numbers up to 20
B Let's understand
Counting forward: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!
Counting helps us find out "how many" things we have. We use numbers every day: counting our fingers, crayons in a box, or steps to the door. We count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and then keep going up to 20! When we compare two groups, the group with more items has a bigger number. For example, 8 apples is more than 5 apples. The number that comes right before 10 is 9, and the number that comes right after 10 is 11.
C See it step by step
- Find 7 and 12 on the number line.
- 12 comes after 7 when counting forward.
- 12 is greater than 7 (12 > 7).
- Meera has more pencils.
- Count forward: 13, 14, 15, 16.
- The number sitting right in the middle of 14 and 16 is 15.
D Your turn
E Ready to practise?
Key idea 1
Numbers tell us how many items are in a group.
Counting forward
Counting forward: numbers get bigger by 1 each time.
Key idea 3
Counting backward from 10 to 1 helps us count down.
Key idea 4
"More" means a greater number; "less" means a smaller number.
Key idea 5
The number between two numbers is in the exact middle (e.g., 8 is between 7 and 9).