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Kindergarten · K.CC.A.3

Number writing in kindergarten

Number writing in kindergarten covers the numbers from 0 to 20. Your child learns to form each digit, to write the number that matches a group of objects and to write 0 when there is nothing to count.

What the standard says

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

K.CC.A.3 Write numbers from 0 to 20. Represent a number of objects with a written numeral 0–20 (with 0 representing a count of no objects).

What it means, in plain words

A numeral is the written sign for a number, such as 7 or 15. Writing numbers 1 to 20 starts with the digits 0 to 9. A digit is one of the ten single signs we use to write every number. After 9, the numbers use two digits side by side: 1 and 6 make 16, which is ten and six more.

Writing numbers 0 to 20 also means linking a numeral to an amount. Your child counts a group of objects and writes the numeral that tells how many. Four buttons get a 4. An empty plate gets a 0, because 0 means there are no objects at all.

Number writing takes time to settle. A backwards 3 or 7 is common at age 5. What matters most is that your child knows which number each written sign stands for.

Your child should be able to:

  • Write the numerals 0 to 20 so another person can read them
  • Count a small group of objects and write how many there are
  • Write 0 for a group with no objects
  • Write the numbers from 11 to 19 with the 1 first, such as 17

Example

A box holds 8 crayons. Count them and write how many there are.

  1. Touch each crayon once and count: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
  2. The last number said is 8, so the box holds 8 crayons.
  3. Your child writes the numeral 8.

Example

How do you write the number seventeen?

  1. Seventeen is ten and seven more.
  2. Write the 1 first, for the ten. Then write the 7 next to it.
  3. Seventeen is written 17.

Where children usually get stuck

  • Your child writes 71 for seventeen or 61 for sixteen.

    The words for 13 to 19 say the second digit first: seven-teen. Your child writes the digits in the order the word is heard.

    What helps. Lay out a row of 10 buttons and 7 more below it. Point to the row of 10 and write the 1, then point to the 7 extra buttons and write the 7.

  • Your child writes a backwards 3, a backwards 7 or a 6 that faces the wrong way.

    Young children see a turned object as the same object. A chair turned around is still a chair, so a turned 3 still looks like a 3 to your child.

    What helps. Write the tricky digit with a finger in a tray of salt or flour, saying the strokes out loud. Keep a strip with 0 to 20 on the table so your child can check the direction.

  • Shown an empty basket and asked how many, your child says there is no number or leaves the space blank.

    Zero is harder than other numbers because there is nothing to count. Your child has to learn that "none" also has a numeral.

    What helps. At snack time, write down how many crackers are left as they get eaten. When the plate is empty, write 0 together.

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.

  1. 1Warm-up
    Count the counters in the ten frames.
    Write the number.
    Show the answer and how to solve it

    Answer. 11

    There are 11 counters in all. The first ten frame shows a full 10, and the second ten frame has 1 more, so 10 and 1 more is 11.

    1. 1Look at the first ten frame. Every cell is filled, so it shows 10.
    2. 2Now count the counters in the second ten frame: 1. There is 1 more counter.
    3. 3Put the parts together. 10 and 1 more is 11.
    4. 4Write 11.

    Common mistake. A common mistake is counting only the second ten frame and writing 1, or counting some empty cells by mistake. Remember: a full ten frame is always 10, then count the extra counters in the next frame.

    The idea underneath. A teen number is one full ten frame plus a few more counters in the next frame. Once the first frame is full, you do not need to count those — you know it is 10.

  2. 2On level
    Press play to listen to the number.
    Type the number you heard.
    Show the answer and how to solve it

    Answer. 11

    The answer is 11. When you hear eleven, you write the digit 1 first, then the digit 1 again.

    1. 1Press the play button and listen carefully to the number that is spoken.
    2. 2The number you hear is eleven. The numeral for eleven is 11.
    3. 3Type 1 first, then 1 to write the number 11.

    Common mistake. A common mistake is hearing eleven and typing just 1 instead of 11. Eleven is a two-digit number — you write the digit 1 twice.

    The idea underneath. The numbers 10 through 19 all begin with the digit 1. The second digit tells you the rest of the number you hear.

  3. 3On level
    How many counters are in the ten-frames?
    A
    13
    B
    41
    C
    14
    D
    15
    Show the answer and how to solve it

    There are 14 counters. The first ten-frame is full with 10 counters, and the second ten-frame has 4 counters, so 10 and 4 more is 14.

    1. 1Look at the ten-frames. The first ten-frame is full. A full ten-frame has 10 counters.
    2. 2Now count the counters in the second ten-frame: 1, 2, 3, 4. There are 4 counters in the second ten-frame.
    3. 3Add the two parts. 10 counters and 4 more counters is 14 counters in all.

    Common mistake. A common mistake is writing 41 instead of 14 — the digits are reversed. The number fourteen is one ten and 4 ones, so it is written as 14, not 41.

    The idea underneath. A teen number is one full ten-frame plus the counters in the next frame. The full ten-frame is the ten (the 1 in 14), and the counters in the second frame are the ones (the 4 in 14).

  4. 4Stretch
    Which ten frame shows 0 counters?
    A
    B
    C
    D
    Show the answer and how to solve it

    The empty ten frame shows 0 counters because there are no dots in the frame at all.

    1. 1Look at each ten frame. Count the counters in each one.
    2. 2Three of the frames have counters in them: two frames have 1 counter each and one frame has 2 counters.
    3. 3One frame has no counters at all. That is the empty ten frame — it shows 0 counters.

    Common mistake. A common mistake is picking a frame with 1 counter. But 1 counter is not zero — zero means no counters at all.

    The idea underneath. Zero means none. The ten frame must be completely empty to show 0.