Naming and ordering numbers to 20
Where number begins
For the teacher or parent: the writing on this page is for you. The pictures below are for the child — show them on a board, tablet or phone, and count along together out loud.
This is where number begins. In Foundation, children learn to name the numbers from zero to twenty, to match each number name to its written numeral, and to put those numbers in order. It sounds simple to an adult, but it is one of the largest leaps a young mind makes all year, and everything in later mathematics rests on it. If a child leaves Foundation able to say “seven”, point to the numeral 7, and know that 7 comes after 6 and before 8, they have the foundation that addition, place value, fractions and every later topic is built upon.
Three skills, tangled together
There are three separate skills tangled together in this one idea, and it helps to keep them apart in your mind. The first is the number name, the spoken word, such as “five”. The second is the numeral, the written symbol, such as 5. The third is the quantity, the actual amount, such as five apples on a table. A young child can often recite the number words in order, like a song, long before they understand that “five” means a specific amount, or that the squiggle 5 stands for that amount. The whole task of Foundation number is to tie these three together so tightly that they become one idea.
Counting is the bridge
When a child counts a row of objects, they touch each object once and say one number name for it, in order. This is harder than it looks. The child must coordinate the pointing and the saying, must not skip an object or count one twice, and must understand that the very last number they say is the answer to “how many”. That last idea has a name, the cardinal principle, and it is a genuine discovery for a child. Many children will count “one, two, three, four, five” correctly and then, asked how many there are, start counting all over again — because they have not yet realised that “five” was already the answer.
Numbers live in order
Numbers are not just a set; they live in a fixed sequence, each one exactly one more than the number before it. A number track makes this visible: 4 is always just before 5, which is always just before 6. Once a child feels that the numbers march along in a fixed order, they can start to answer “what comes after 8” without counting from one, and they are ready for the idea that counting on is the same as adding.
Seeing five and ten
A ten-frame is one of the most useful tools in early number. By grouping counters in fives and tens, it helps a child see a quantity at a glance instead of counting every object, and it quietly prepares them for place value later on.
A word about zero
Zero is a sophisticated idea and often comes last. It is the number that names “none” — an empty space, no objects at all. Showing a child an empty ten-frame, or an empty hand, and naming it “zero” helps them see that zero is a real number with its own place at the start of the line, not just the absence of counting.
How to use these with a child
Point and count out loud together, touching each object as you say its number. Ask “how many” after counting and gently show that the last number is the answer. Mix up the order and ask the child to find a particular numeral, or to tell you what comes next. Use real objects too, as the curriculum suggests — counters, blocks, buttons or fingers — so the child connects the screen to the world they can touch. Keep it playful and short. At this age, a few joyful minutes of counting together does more than a long lesson.