Counting to 100

Count on and back in ones and tens up to 100.

  • Define and explain Counting to 100 in your own words
  • Use key terms such as Estimate accurately
  • Apply what you have learned to new examples and questions
  • Avoid the common mistakes learners make with this topic

This lesson focuses on Counting to 100: count on and back in ones and tens up to 100.

Definition: Counting to 100

Count on and back in ones and tens up to 100.

Key ideas

One-to-one counting

Touch or point to each object once and say one number name each time. That way no object is missed and none is counted twice.

Counting on

Instead of starting at 1 each time, keep counting from a number you already know. This makes adding and checking totals much faster.

Key term — Estimate: A sensible guess of how many there are, found by counting part of a group and scaling up.

Worked example: Counting to 100

A packet has 31 biscuits. You eat 1. How many are left?

30 — counting back one from 31 gives 30.

Answer: 30 — counting back one from 31 gives 30.

Common mistakes
  • Counting an object twice Point to each object once as you count it, moving counted objects aside if it helps.
  • Thinking 9 is bigger than 11 Compare by seeing which comes later in the count, not by how big the digit looks.

Practice

Count back in tens from 70 to 30.
Take away one ten at a time.

70, 60, 50, 40, 30.

Which is more: 25 or 29?
Which comes later in the count?

29, because 29 comes after 25 when counting.

Count from 14 to 20.
Say each number one after another.

14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20.

What number comes just before 40?
Count backwards from 40.

Quick check

Counting to 100 — quick check

Which of these best defines "Estimate"?

A sensible guess of how many there are, found by counting part of a group and scaling up.

Write the numbers 8, 3, 11, 5 from smallest to largest.

3, 5, 8, 11.
Key takeaways
  • Counting to 100: count on and back in ones and tens up to 100.
  • One-to-one counting: Touch or point to each object once and say one number name each time.
  • Number: A word or symbol that tells you how many there are, such as 7.
  • Watch out for: counting an object twice