Reception Maths: Counting in order to 10
Part of the Reception Maths counting to 10 chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Counting in order to 10
Mei is walking up the stairs. Each step has a number on it, from 1 to 10. She counts as she goes up.
Each number is one more than the number before it. Counting forwards goes up: 1, 2, 3. Counting backwards goes down: 10, 9, 8.
Key ideas
- Each number is one more than the one before.
- Count forwards from 1 to 10.
- Count backwards from 10 to 1.
Method. Find 5 on the number track. The number after it is the answer.
- Find 5. Put your finger on it.5
- Move one box to the right. Each box is one more or one less.5 + 1 = 6
- Write the answer. 6
Check. Check it: 6 − 1 = 5. ✓
Watch out. Move one box only. Do not write the number you started with.
Method. Each number is one more than the number before it. Use the numbers you can see to find the gaps.
- Look at the numbers around each gap. Counting on means each number is one more.1, 2, ?, 4, ?, 6
- Count on one from the number before each gap. Add 1 to the number before the gap.Gap 3: 2 + 1 = 3
Gap 5: 4 + 1 = 5 - Write the missing numbers. 3, 5
Check. Read the whole line again. Every number is one more than the one before. ✓
Watch out. Check the numbers after the gap too. They should still go up by one.
Method. Count in order from 1 to 10. Each number is one more than the one before.
- Start at 1. We start at the first number.1
- Count on to 10. Say each number, one more each time.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
- Write the numbers. Write them in order.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Check. Count back from 10 to 1. You say the same numbers. ✓
Watch out. Do not miss a number out. Check each one is one more than the last.
Watch out
Watch out: after 9 comes 10. Ten is one number, even though it is written with two digits.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Count the steps on the stairs together. Stop on each step and say its number. Ask: “What number comes next?” Then ask it going down too.
Exercise 1E Counting in order
Non-calculatorMethod. Find 4 on the number track. The number after it is the answer.
- Find 4. Put your finger on it.4
- Move one box to the right. Each box is one more or one less.4 + 1 = 5
- Write the answer. 5
Check. Check it: 5 − 1 = 4. ✓
Watch out. Move one box only. Do not write the number you started with.
Method. Find 8 on the number track. The number before it is the answer.
- Find 8. Put your finger on it.8
- Move one box to the left. Each box is one more or one less.8 − 1 = 7
- Write the answer. 7
Check. Check it: 7 + 1 = 8. ✓
Watch out. Move one box only. Do not write the number you started with.
Method. Each number is one more than the number before it. Use the numbers you can see to find the gaps.
- Look at the numbers around each gap. Counting on means each number is one more.1, ?, 3, ?, 5
- Count on one from the number before each gap. Add 1 to the number before the gap.Gap 2: 1 + 1 = 2
Gap 4: 3 + 1 = 4 - Write the missing numbers. 2, 4
Check. Read the whole line again. Every number is one more than the one before. ✓
Watch out. Check the numbers after the gap too. They should still go up by one.
Method. Each number is one more than the number before it. Use the numbers you can see to find the gaps.
- Look at the numbers around each gap. Counting on means each number is one more.6, 7, ?, 9
- Count on one from the number before each gap. Add 1 to the number before the gap.Gap 3: 7 + 1 = 8
- Write the missing numbers. 8
Check. Read the whole line again. Every number is one more than the one before. ✓
Watch out. Check the numbers after the gap too. They should still go up by one.
Method. Count in order from 1 to 5. Each number is one more than the one before.
- Start at 1. We start at the first number.1
- Count on to 5. Say each number, one more each time.1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- Write the numbers. Write them in order.1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Check. Count back from 5 to 1. You say the same numbers. ✓
Watch out. Do not miss a number out. Check each one is one more than the last.
Method. Start at 10 and count back to 6. Each number is one less than the one before.
- Start at the biggest number. We start at the top.10
- Say each number, one less each time. Do not skip a number.10, 9, 8, 7, 6
- Write the numbers. Include the first and last numbers.10, 9, 8, 7, 6
Check. Count on from 6 to 10 to check. ✓
Watch out. Count backwards one at a time. Do not jump two numbers.
Method. Each number is one more than the number before it. Use the numbers you can see to find the gaps.
- Look at the numbers around each gap. Counting on means each number is one more.0, 1, ?, 3, ?, 5
- Count on one from the number before each gap. Add 1 to the number before the gap.Gap 3: 1 + 1 = 2
Gap 5: 3 + 1 = 4 - Write the missing numbers. 2, 4
Check. Read the whole line again. Every number is one more than the one before. ✓
Watch out. Check the numbers after the gap too. They should still go up by one.
Method. Find 9 on the number track. The number after it is the answer.
- Find 9. Put your finger on it.9
- Move one box to the right. Each box is one more or one less.9 + 1 = 10
- Write the answer. 10
Check. Check it: 10 − 1 = 9. ✓
Watch out. Move one box only. Do not write the number you started with.
Method. Start at 3 on the stairs. Count on 4 steps, one at a time.
- Start on step 3. That is where Ruby is now.3
- Climb 4 more steps. Say the next four numbers.4, 5, 6, 7
- Write the answer. Ruby is on the step with the last number.7
Check. Count back 4 from 7: 6, 5, 4, 3. You get back to step 3. ✓
Watch out. Count on from 3, not from 4.
Method. Find the step after 7 on the number track.
- Find step 7. Put your finger on 7.7
- Find the next step. The next number is one more.7 + 1 = 8
- Write the answer. 8
Check. Count 7, 8 on the track. ✓
Watch out. Move one step, not two.
Method. Each number is one more than the number before it. Use the numbers you can see to find the gaps.
- Look at the numbers around each gap. Counting on means each number is one more.0, ?, 2, ?, 4
- Count on one from the number before each gap. Add 1 to the number before the gap.Gap 2: 0 + 1 = 1
Gap 4: 2 + 1 = 3 - Write the missing numbers. 1, 3
Check. Read the whole line again. Every number is one more than the one before. ✓
Watch out. Check the numbers after the gap too. They should still go up by one.
Method. Look at the number track. Find 9, then the next number after it.
- Find 9 on the track. Put your finger on it.9
- Find the next number. The next number is one more: 10.9 + 1 = 10
- Write the answer. No. The number after 9 is 10.
Check. Count 8, 9, 10. Ten comes after nine. ✓
Watch out. The number after 9 is 10, not 91.