Numbers are how we say how many. When you count your fingers or the steps up to your door, you are using numbers. This gentle lesson helps you count things one by one, put numbers in order, and know which number comes next.
To count, we point to each thing and say one number for it: one, two, three. Each thing gets one number, and we do not skip any. The last number we say tells us how many there are altogether.
Try counting these dots by touching each one and saying the number out loud. The last number you say is how many there are.
Numbers always go in the same order: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. A number line shows them in a row. As you move to the right, the numbers get bigger. As you move to the left, they get smaller.
The blue dot on the line below is on the number 4. The numbers after it — 5, 6, 7 — are bigger. The numbers before it — 3, 2, 1 — are smaller.
Every number has a number that comes next (one more) and a number that comes before (one less). After 6 comes 7. Before 6 comes 5. Counting up means saying the next number each time; counting back means saying the one before.
Knowing 'one more' and 'one less' is the start of adding and taking away, which you will learn soon. A fun way to practise is to say a number and then tell someone the number that comes next, and then the one that comes before — going up and back along the numbers you know.
Try these. Pick an answer to see whether it's right and why.