Counting to 20: Numbers Hide in Everything Around You
A caterpillar has 16 legs. A spider has 8. A ladybug has exactly 6 spots — or sometimes none at all! Numbers are hiding everywhere — in bugs, in stair steps, in crackers, in fingers and toes. Learning to count to 20 is one of the most powerful skills you will ever build.
What You'll Learn
By the end of this lesson you will be able to: • Count out loud from 1 to 20 • Recognize what each number looks like • Match a number to a group of objects • Understand teen numbers as ten and some more
Numbers 1 to 10: Our First Ten
Count your fingers — you have 10! Hold up one hand and say: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Now hold up the other hand: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Each number stands for exactly that many things. Three apples. Five dogs. Ten crayons. Practice pointing to objects as you count — one tap for each number, and never count the same thing twice!
Always start at 1 and say each number as you touch each object. Go slowly — getting it right matters more than going fast!
Teen Numbers 11 to 20: Ten and a Little More
After 10 come the teen numbers. Every teen number has a ten hiding inside it! 11 = ten and one more 12 = ten and two more 13 = ten and three more ...all the way to 19 = ten and nine more! And 20 means TWO whole groups of ten. If you have 10 fingers and a friend has 10 fingers and you put your hands together — that is 20!
Numbers Are Hiding Everywhere
Look around right now. How many windows are in your room? How many chairs? Count the books on a shelf or the steps on a staircase. You might find 11, 14, or even 18! A dozen eggs is 12. A soccer team has 11 players on the field at one time. Numbers keep the world organized — and now you can read them all the way to 20.
Match each number to the description of how many dots it stands for.
Terms
Definitions
Drag terms onto their definitions, or click a term then click a definition to match.
You have 10 red blocks and 7 blue blocks. How many blocks do you have altogether?
Which number comes right after 19?
Number Hunt Walk
1. Walk slowly around one room in your home or classroom. 2. Count every chair you see and write the number down. 3. Count every window. Write it down. 4. Count every book on one shelf (pick a small shelf!). 5. Find at least one number bigger than 10 in your results. 6. Draw a picture of what you counted and write the number next to it. Deliverable: A sheet with 3 drawings and 3 numbers — at least one number must be 11 or higher!
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