Kindergarten math: Counting to 20 and the teen numbers

If your child is in Kindergarten, the topic "Counting to 20 and the teen numbers" is one of the ideas where confidence is most often won or lost. Here is what it means in plain words, a worked example you can follow together, and a few simple ways to help at home.

What Kindergarten children learn

• Count forward to 20, and start counting from any number, not only from 1
• See a teen number as a full ten and some more, on two ten frames
• Read and write the numerals 11 to 20

The key ideas

• After 10 we keep counting: 11, 12, 13, all the way to 20.
• A teen number is a full ten and some more: 14 is 10 and 4.
• On two ten frames, the full frame is 10 and the extra dots go on the second frame.
• The 1 at the front of a teen number stands for the full ten.
• We can start counting from any number, not only from 1.

Quick examples

• 13 is a full ten frame (10 dots) and 3 more dots on a second frame, and we say "thirteen"
• Start at 6 and count on: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
• Fourteen is written 14: the 1 stands for the full ten and the 4 stands for 4 extra
• To count 17 beans, make a ten first, then count on the 7 extras: 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

A worked example

How to help at home

• Ask your child to explain the first step of the worked example in their own words before you show them anything.
• Work through the "Try it yourself" question together, and talk about why the answer makes sense.
• Spend a few minutes a day on the free Tutorizer "Counting to 20" practice. Short and regular beats long and rare.
• If a step feels shaky, go back to the key ideas above and use objects, drawings or a number line.

Try it yourself

Want a challenge?

Next steps