Number Counting Cards 0-20 for wall decor or math work

0-20 Number Cards for Wall Décor or Math Center Work

As an educator whenever I’d see number sets for 1-10 or 1-20 I always wished they included a simple zero as well. It is true that not every young one is ready for the concept of zero, and yet we can simply offer it as exposure, a talking or merely noticing point so that the word “zero” is a familiar one, the numeral zero something they’ve seen before etc… and simply play with the concept, easily enough when finishing off their snack and noticing “Wow! You have one piece of snack left, once it’s gone there will be zero pieces left.” So, here is just the option to include zero as a visual if interested. Also, you can start with just up to 10, and add up to 20 as makes the most sense for your youngster(s).

For math work with youngsters who already know their numerals, number names, and amounts I love to use these cards for a “Number Talk” guide or an open-ended expansive way to look at any given number. It’s a great teaching tool for differentiation and a challenge for children who love a bit of a mystery. There is no one right answer, in fact there are almost infinite possibilities. For example if the number is 5, you see the number 5, the word five, and the quantity five and then brainstorm ALL the different ways you can make 5. From 4 + 1, to 2+ 3, to 5+0, to 7-2, or ½ of 10, to even 25-20 or -1+6, for the kiddos who love discovering the flexibility really and interconnectedness of numbers Number Talks are great fun.

With younger ones, using manipulatives, the same number, number 5, could have a completely different Number Talk based upon where the learner is. You can count out 5 different counting blocks, stones, treasures from nature, group some of them as 4 and 1 even though formal addition isn’t apart of their learning yet, just so they get to play, hands on, and feel, and see, that they can count out 5 and then break that into 2 and 3 and they still have 5, or maybe you, to model, collect 6 by mistake instead of 5, and you talk out loud that “oh, here are 6 pinecones, I wonder how many I need to take away to get 5? Let’s see” for example.

Size: each card is 6.7” x 5” or half the size of a full piece of printing paper – large enough to the stapled or strung up onto the wall, yet accessible for table or floor work as well.

Materials needed: Printer, Cardstock (recommended for a sturdier longer lasting card, scissors)