Kindergarten · 1st Grade · 2nd Grade · K.CC.C.6 · K.CC.C.7 · 1.NBT.B.3 · 2.NBT.A.4

Greater than and less than in kindergarten to 2nd grade

Greater than and less than are the words children use to compare two amounts and say which is bigger. In kindergarten, your child compares groups of objects and numbers up to 10. In 1st and 2nd grade, your child compares two-digit and then three-digit numbers and writes the result with the symbols >, < and =.

What the standards say

The official Common Core wording, quoted exactly. The plain version follows.

K.CC.C.6 Identify whether the number of objects in one group is greater than, less than, or equal to the number of objects in another group, e.g., by using matching and counting strategies.

K.CC.C.7 Compare two numbers between 1 and 10 presented as written numerals.

1.NBT.B.3 Compare two two-digit numbers based on meanings of the tens and ones digits, recording the results of comparisons with the symbols >, =, and <.

2.NBT.A.4 Compare two three-digit numbers based on meanings of the hundreds, tens, and ones digits, using >, =, and < symbols to record the results of comparisons.

What it means, in plain words

Kindergarten: which group has more or fewer K.CC.C.6

Comparing starts with real objects and the everyday question of more or less: which plate has more grapes? Your child looks at two groups and says whether one group has more, fewer or the same number of objects.

There are two ways to compare groups. Matching pairs one object from each group, like one cup on each saucer, and the group with objects left over has more. Counting gives each group a number, and the bigger number means more. Matching works even before your child can count well.

Your child should be able to:

Match objects one to one to see which group has more
Count two groups and say which has more, fewer or the same
Say "the same" when every object has a partner and none are left over

Example

One plate has 5 grapes and another plate has 8 grapes. Which plate has more grapes?

Line up the grapes from the two plates side by side, one pair at a time.
After 5 pairs, the second plate still has 3 grapes with no partner.
The plate with 8 grapes has more. The plate with 5 grapes has fewer.

Kindergarten: comparing numbers from 1 to 10 K.CC.C.7

Later in kindergarten, your child compares two written numbers between 1 and 10 without any objects. Comparing numbers like 3 and 8 means knowing that 8 comes later in the count, so 8 is greater. Greater than means bigger, and less than means smaller.

Greater than and less than in kindergarten are said in words: "8 is greater than 3" and "3 is less than 8". Equal to means the two numbers are the same. Many kindergarten classes do not use the symbols yet.

Your child should be able to:

Say which of two numbers from 1 to 10 is greater
Use the words greater than, less than and equal to
Check a comparison by counting up or by picturing the objects

Example

Which number is greater, 3 or 8?

Count up from 1. You say 3 first and 8 later.
A number that comes later in the count is greater.
8 is greater than 3, so 3 is less than 8.

1st grade: comparing two-digit numbers 1.NBT.B.3

Greater than and less than in 1st grade move to two-digit numbers, like 46 and 64. A two-digit number has a tens digit and a ones digit. Place value is the idea that the place of a digit gives it its worth: in 46, the 4 means 4 tens (40) and the 6 means 6 ones.

Comparing two-digit numbers starts with the tens. The number with more tens is greater, whatever its ones are. Only when the tens are the same do the ones decide. Your child also starts writing comparisons with symbols: > means greater than, < means less than and = means equal to. The open side of the symbol faces the greater number.

Your child should be able to:

Say how many tens and ones are in a two-digit number
Compare two two-digit numbers by looking at the tens first
Write a comparison with >, < or = and read it out loud

Example

Compare 46 and 64. Which symbol goes between them?

46 has 4 tens. 64 has 6 tens.
6 tens is more than 4 tens, so 64 is greater. The ones do not change that.
Write $46 < 64$ , which reads "46 is less than 64".

2nd grade: comparing three-digit numbers 2.NBT.A.4

Greater than and less than in 2nd grade use three-digit numbers, like 507 and 482. The new place is the hundreds: in 507, the 5 means 5 hundreds (500).

Comparing three-digit numbers follows the same plan, starting from the left. Compare the hundreds first. If they match, compare the tens. If the tens match too, the ones decide. The digit on the left is worth the most, so the number with more hundreds is greater even when its other digits are small.

Your child should be able to:

Say how many hundreds, tens and ones are in a three-digit number
Compare two three-digit numbers starting with the hundreds
Explain a comparison using hundreds, tens and ones
Write the result with >, < or =

Example

Compare 507 and 482. Which number is greater?

507 has 5 hundreds. 482 has 4 hundreds.
5 hundreds is more than 4 hundreds, so 507 is greater, even though 482 has more tens.
$507 > 482$ , so 507 is greater than 482.

Example

Compare 625 and 652. Which symbol goes between them?

Both numbers have 6 hundreds, so look at the tens.
625 has 2 tens and 652 has 5 tens. 5 tens is more than 2 tens.
$625 < 652$ , so 625 is less than 652.

Where children usually get stuck

Shown a row of 5 big blocks spread far apart and a row of 7 small blocks pushed close together, your child says the row of 5 has more.
Young children judge an amount by how much space it takes up. The longer row looks like more.
What helps. Match the two rows one block at a time, then count both. The blocks left without a partner show which row has more.
Your child says 29 is greater than 34 because 9 is bigger than 4.
Your child compares the digits that look biggest without asking what each digit is worth. 29 is 2 tens and 9 ones, and 34 is 3 tens and 4 ones, so the tens decide.
What helps. Build both numbers with bundles of 10 sticks and loose sticks, or with dimes and pennies. Compare the bundles first, then the loose ones.
Your child knows 52 is greater than 25 but writes $52 < 25$ .
The two symbols look almost the same, and which way each one points is easy to mix up.
What helps. Draw the symbol as an open mouth that always eats the bigger number. Before writing, ask which number is bigger, then point the open side at it.

Try four practice questions

Real kindergarten questions from our question bank, easiest first. Answer them right here, check each one, and see a worked solution for any question.

1Warm-up
Each cat wants one fish.
Cats
Fish
Use Tab to navigate between items. Click or tap a card to select it, then click or tap a card on the opposite side to create a match. You can also drag a card or its connector dot to a card on the opposite side.
Pick the sentence that is true.
A
One fish has no cat.
B
One cat has no fish.
C
Every cat has one fish.
Show the answer and how to solve it
The answer is "One cat has no fish." There are 4 cats but only 3 fish, so one cat is left without a fish.
1. 1Look at the picture. Count the cats and the fish.
2. 2There are 4 cats and 3 fish.
3. 3Each line shows one cat and one fish together. There are 3 lines. The last cat has no line, so the last cat has no fish.
4. 4So the sentence "One cat has no fish." is true.
Common mistake. A common mistake is to pick "Every cat has one fish." without looking carefully at the bottom of the column. The last cat has no line — that cat has no fish, so not every cat has one.
The idea underneath. Count both groups. If they have the same number, every one has a partner. If one group has more, some are left without a partner.
2On level
Look at the two numbers below.
6
7
Are these two numbers equal?
A
Not equal
B
Equal
Show the answer and how to solve it
The two numbers are not equal because 6 and 7 are different numbers.
1. 1Look at the two number cards.
2. 2The first card shows 6. The second card shows 7.
3. 36 and 7 are different numbers. They are not the same, so the answer is Not equal.
Common mistake. A common mistake is thinking 6 and 7 are 'the same' because they are both small numbers that come right next to each other. Each numeral names a different amount, so 6 and 7 are not equal.
The idea underneath. Two numbers are equal only when they are the exact same number, like 4 and 4 or 7 and 7.
3On level
Compare the numbers shown by the base-ten blocks.
Which symbol makes the comparison true? Model A ___ Model B
A
$\displaystyle =$
B
$\displaystyle <$
C
$\displaystyle >$
Show the answer and how to solve it
The correct symbol is the less than symbol. Model A shows 28 and Model B shows 31, and 28 is less than 31 because Model A has fewer tens.
1. 1Look at the blocks. Count the tens in each model.
2. 2Model A has 2 tens. Model B has 3 tens. 2 tens is less than 3 tens.
3. 3Since Model A has fewer tens, Model A is less than Model B. The ones do not change this — tens come first.
Common mistake. A common mistake is comparing the ones first. Model A has 8 ones and Model B has 1 one, which might make a student think Model A is the larger number. But the tens come first: 2 tens is less than 3 tens, so 28 is less than 31.
The idea underneath. When comparing two-digit numbers, always look at the tens first. Tens are bigger than ones, so the model with more tens is the bigger number. Only look at the ones when the tens are the same.
4Stretch
Choose the symbol that makes the comparison true.
$\displaystyle 296 \underline{\phantom{0}} 314$
A
$\displaystyle <$
B
$\displaystyle =$
C
$\displaystyle >$
Show the answer and how to solve it
$296 < 314$ because $2$ hundreds is less than $3$ hundreds.
1. 1Look at the hundreds digit of each number.
2. 2Compare the hundreds digits.
3. 3Since $2$ hundreds is less than $3$ hundreds, $296$ is less than $314$ , so the symbol is $<$ .
Common mistake. A common mistake is comparing the tens digits first. The tens digit of $296$ is $9$ and the tens digit of $314$ is $1$ . Even though $9 > 1$ , the hundreds place always comes first when comparing three-digit numbers.
The idea underneath. When comparing three-digit numbers, always start with the hundreds place. If the hundreds digits are different, the number with the larger hundreds digit is the larger number — the tens and ones do not matter.