Grade by Grade
Strand A: Foundations of Language and Mathematics · Numbers and Counting

Counting in Order

A6.2 A6.8About 20 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can say the counting numbers in the right order.
  • I can count to 10, then to 20, and to 30 with help.
  • I can start counting from any number up to 20, like 13, and keep going.
  • I know that when I count forward, the numbers get bigger.

Words to know

count
Say the numbers in order: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 …
number
A word or sign that tells how many, like three or 3.
after
The number that comes next when we count. After 4 comes 5.
before
The number that comes just ahead. Before 4 comes 3.

Let's sing!

Grown-up: read this part aloud and sing together.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, once I caught a fish alive. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, then I let it go again!"

You just counted to 10! Let's count the fish together. Point to each one.

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟
Ten fish. Point and count: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

Numbers have an order

Counting numbers always come in the same order. Every time. Like the words in a song.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

If we skip a number, or mix them up, our counting will not be right.

Wooden steps with railings lead up to the front porch of a brick house, with flower pots on each side.
Count the steps as you climb: 1, 2, 3, 4... We always say the numbers in the same order. AI-generated image
012345678910
The numbers in order from 0 to 10. Each step to the right is one more.

Counting forward makes numbers bigger

Each time we count forward, the number gets one bigger. 2 is more than 1. 3 is more than 2. 10 is more than all of them!

When we count back, like 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, the numbers get smaller.

Worked example

Let's count the stairs

We are climbing 10 stairs. Let's count each stair as we step.

  1. Put one foot on the first stair. Say 1.
  2. Next stair: 2. Next: 3. Keep going: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
  3. Top stair: 10! We are up high.
  4. Each stair gave us one more number. The numbers got bigger as we went up.

We counted 1 to 10, one number for each stair.

Worked example

Let's start in the middle

We don't always have to start at 1. Let's start at 4 and count to 8.

  1. Say 4 in a big voice.
  2. What comes after 4? 5.
  3. Keep going: 6, 7, 8.
  4. Stop at 8.

4, 5, 6, 7, 8. We counted on from 4.

Worked example

Rocket blast-off: counting back

Let's crouch down like a rocket and count back from 10.

  1. Start at 10.
  2. Count back one at a time: 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
  3. Shout Blast off! and jump up high.
  4. Counting back, the numbers got smaller.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, blast off!

Counting past 10

After 10 we keep going. Look at the chart. Each row starts a new set of numbers. Point to each number as you say it.

12345678910
11121314151617181920
21222324252627282930
Numbers 1 to 30. Read across each row.
Worked example

Let's start at 13

Start at 13 and count to 20. Point to the chart as you go.

  1. Find 13 on the chart. Say thirteen in a big voice.
  2. What comes next? 14.
  3. Keep going: 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.
  4. Stop at 20. Twenty!

13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. We started in the middle and counted on to 20.

Tricky numbers

Some numbers are tricky to say:

  • 11 is "eleven" and 12 is "twelve".
  • 13 is "thirteen" and 15 is "fifteen" (not "five-teen").
  • After 19 comes 20. After 29 comes 30.

It's okay to need help with these. Lots of practice makes them easy.

Just for fun

Why was 6 afraid of 7?

Because 7 8 9! 😱 (Say it out loud: seven ate nine!)

Hands-on activity

Counting walk and jump

You need: a hallway, stairs, or a sidewalk outside.

  1. Take giant steps and count each step out loud. How far can you go?
  2. Jump in place. Count each jump. Try to get to 10, then 20.
  3. Clap and count. The grown-up says a number to start at, like 6, and you keep counting: 7, 8, 9 …
  4. Rocket game: crouch down, count back from 10 to 1, then jump and say Blast off!

In winter, count your footprints in the snow!

Grown-up: Many families count in more than one language, such as English, French, or an Indigenous language like Ojibwe, Cree, or Inuktitut. If your family uses another language at home, count in that language too.

Your turn

1

Count out loud from 1 to 10.

2

What number comes after 3?

3

What number comes after 9?

4

Start at 5 and count to 10.

5

Count back from 5. Then say "Blast off!"

6

Which comes first when we count: 6 or 8?

7

Listen: "1, 2, 3, 5, 6." Which number is missing?

8

Start at 16 and count to 20.

More practice: warm-up

1

What comes after 1?

2

What comes after 6?

3

Count from 1 to 5 and hold up a finger for each number.

4

What comes before 3?

5

Finish it: 1, 2, 3, __

More practice: on your own

1

Count from 1 to 20.

2

What comes after 12?

3

Start at 14 and count to 18.

4

What comes before 10?

5

Finish it: 7, 8, __, 10

Challenge

1

What comes after 19?

2

Count from 20 to 30.

3

Count back from 15 to 10.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

What number comes after 4?

2.

What number comes before 8?

3.

Which number is missing? 1, 2, __, 4

4.

When we count forward (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), the numbers get …

5.

What number comes after 19?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: The counting words always come in the same order (math educators call this stable order). Children need to say the sequence reliably before counting objects can work. Counting forward gives a bigger number each time, and counting back gives a smaller one.

Common difficulties:

  • Skipping or repeating numbers (1, 2, 3, 5 …). Count together slowly, and use songs and rhymes.
  • The teens. "Eleven", "twelve", "thirteen" and "fifteen" don't sound like "one-teen", "five-teen". Many children say "ten-eleven" or skip 15. This is normal.
  • Stopping at the end of a decade ("…28, 29, twenty-ten"). Show the 1 to 30 chart and point to 30.
  • Always restarting at 1. Practise "Start at 4 and keep going." This prepares children for adding later.

How to help: Count everywhere: stairs, jumps, buttons on a coat, cars at a red light. Count back for blast-offs and the microwave timer. The Kindergarten Curriculum (2026) expects children to count to 20 by 1s starting from any number ("Start at 12 and keep going"), and to know that counting forward makes numbers bigger and counting back makes them smaller. Counting on to 30 is a bonus. It is fine if your child is confident to 10 and still learning the teens.