3.3y–5y12 minQuiet timeFamily timeDevelopmental play
Number Order First: Before and After Game
A short adult-guided number-line routine that prioritises secure number order (building and checking a sequence) before introducing ‘what comes before/after’ questions using concrete supports.
What you'll need
Essentials
- paper and a pen/marker
- 10 small slips/cards (or paper squares) to write numerals 1–10
- a flat surface (table/floor) to lay out a number line
Nice to have
- masking tape to keep cards in place
- a small toy (car/figure) to ‘travel’ along the number line
Movement level: false
What you'll do
The 4-step guide, with what to look for at each step, is for signed-in parents.
What this develops
What it practices
- Selects the correct numeral to represent 1 to 5, then 1 to 10 objects.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Counts an irregular arrangement of up to ten objects.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Estimates how many objects they can see and checks by counting them.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Uses the language of ‘more’ and ‘fewer’ to compare two sets of objects.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Finds the total number of items in two groups by counting all of them.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
Where it comes from
- Source
- Development Matters in the EYFS (DfE, 2012)
- Original guidance
- “Make sure children are secure about the order of numbers before asking what comes after or before each number.”
- License
- Open Government Licence v3.0
- Attribution
- © Crown Copyright 2012 (Development Matters in the EYFS, DfE)