Chapter 3: Fun with Numbers

Numbers are like friends in a long line. Some are small, some are big, and they all have their own special place. Let us meet them from 1 to 100!

What we'll do

• Read and write numbers from 1 to 100.
• Find numbers that come before, after or between.
• Compare numbers: which is bigger, which is smaller.
• Spot fun patterns on the number chart.

The big idea

Every number has a name and a place. After 1 comes 2, then 3, then 4 ... we keep going up. When we reach 9, the next number is 10. Ten is special , it is one full bunch.

After 10, the count begins again: 11, 12, 13 ... up to 19, then 20. Twenty is two bunches of ten. Then 30, 40, 50, all the way up to 99, and then a brand-new number , 100 , which is ten full tens!

To compare two numbers, we first look at the tens. The number with more tens is bigger. 67 is bigger than 49 because 6 tens is more than 4 tens. If the tens are the same, we look at the ones. 67 is bigger than 63 because 7 ones is more than 3 ones.

The number that comes just before is one less. The number that comes just after is one more. The number that sits between two numbers is in the middle of them.

Let's play!

Number chart hop. Draw a 10-by-10 chart with the numbers 1 to 100. Hop on numbers that end in 5. What pattern do you see?

Before-after-between. Ask a family member to say any number. You quickly say the number before it, after it, and one number between it and 10 more.

Flash card fun. Write numbers 41 to 60 on small bits of paper. Mix them up and put them back in order. Time yourself!

A small story

Gargi was helping her grandmother count diyas for Diwali. They had 48 diyas in one box and 52 in another. "Which box has more?" asked her dadi. Gargi looked at the tens. 5 tens is more than 4 tens, so 52 is bigger. "The second box has more!" she said happily.

Quick check

1. What number comes after 79?
2. What number comes just before 60?
3. Which is bigger: 38 or 83?
4. Write the number names: 45, 67, 90.
5. Count in tens up to 100.

What did we learn?

• Numbers from 1 to 100 sit in a long, friendly line.
• To compare, look at the tens first, then the ones.
• Every number has one just before and one just after it.