Counting & Numbers
Numbers are the building blocks of all math. This guide covers counting, number sense, and the patterns that make numbers easy to work with.
Counting to 100
Start by counting forward from 1 to 100. Practice saying each number out loud as you count. After 10, the pattern repeats — 11, 12 … 19, 20 — with a new "tens" name each time.
Counting by 1s
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 … 19, 20 … 100
You can also count backwards. Start at 10 and count down: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. Countdown!
Skip Counting
Skip counting means jumping over numbers in a pattern. It is the first step toward multiplication.
Skip Count by 2s
2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 …
Skip Count by 5s
5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 … 100
Skip Count by 10s
10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100
A great trick: every number you say when skip counting by 5s ends in a 0 or a 5!
Place Value: Ones and Tens
Every number has digits in special places. The ones place is the far right digit. The tens place is the next digit to the left.
| Number | Tens | Ones |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 14 | 1 | 4 |
| 36 | 3 | 6 |
| 80 | 8 | 0 |
The number 36 means 3 tens (30) and 6 ones (6). Put them together: 30 + 6 = 36.
Comparing Numbers
Use the symbols < (less than), > (greater than), and = (equal to) to compare numbers.
Examples
5 < 9 (5 is less than 9)
12 > 7 (12 is greater than 7)
15 = 15 (15 equals 15)
Quick Quiz
Test what you just learned. Choose the best answer for each question.