About the Counting to 20 Worksheets
The numbers from 11 to 20 are where counting gets harder. The words stop following a pattern a child can hear (eleven and twelve give no clue at all), and the written numbers have two digits for the first time.
What helps most is seeing each of these numbers as ten and some more. Thirteen is ten and three. On every sheet here the pictures are arranged the same way: two full rows of five make the ten, and the extras sit apart. A child who sees that does not have to count all thirteen from one each time.
The chart shows all ten numbers this way, with "10 and 3" written under the word. Count and Write and Count and Circle practice counting the groups. Ten and Some More asks for the two parts and the total. Fill in the Missing Numbers practices the counting order itself, with no pictures.
Every worksheet has an answer key on its second page. Children should be confident to ten first, which the counting to 10 worksheets cover. Ten frames are a good hands-on match for these sheets.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should a child be able to count to 20?
Most children can say the numbers to 20 by the end of preschool or early in kindergarten. Counting 20 objects correctly and writing the numbers usually comes during kindergarten.
Why are the teen numbers hard?
In English the names do not match the way the numbers are built. Fourteen says the four first, but it is written with the 1 first. Eleven and twelve do not sound like ten and one or ten and two at all. Children have to learn them by practice.
What does "ten and some more" mean?
Every number from 11 to 19 is one group of ten plus some extra ones. Sixteen is ten and six. Seeing numbers this way is the start of place value, which children study in 1st grade.
My child writes 31 for 13. Is that normal?
Yes. Reversing the digits of teen numbers is very common, because the word says the ones first. Saying "ten and three" while writing the 1 and then the 3 usually helps.
What comes after counting to 20?
Counting to 100 by ones and by tens, and comparing numbers. A hundreds chart is the usual tool for that.
