Level 1: First numbers

Numbers · level 1 of 8 · rough age 5-6 (a guide for parents; anyone can start anywhere)

This level is about what numbers are for: saying how many. You learn the rules that make counting work, how to see small amounts at a glance with dice and ten frames, how to tell which group has more, and what adding and taking away really mean. The level ends with the big idea behind all our numbers: groups of ten.

Lesson	You will be able to
Counting things	Count any group correctly, one number for each thing, and know that the last number tells how many
Seeing small amounts at once	Know small amounts without counting, using dice, dominoes, fingers, five frames and ten frames
More, fewer, the same	Compare two groups by matching or by counting, and use a number line from 0 to 20
Putting together and taking away	Add by counting on from the bigger number, take away by counting back, and find how many more
Making ten	Know all the partners of ten, and use them to add sums like 8 + 5 without counting
Teens and beyond	Read any number to 100 as tens and ones, count by ones and tens, and say what comes after 39 or 99

Next: Level 2: tens, hundreds and sharing · Numbers topic page