An animal-themed ordinal number directions worksheet that helps first graders name positions from first to sixth and follow simple directions. Includes an answer key for quick, no-prep ordinal numbers practice.
This Ordinal Numbers Descriptions Worksheet has 1st graders write 1st through 5th under a row of pictures and finish word-bank sentences. Includes a complete answer key — a fun, no-prep way to build number sense and position words.
Practice position with this ordinal numbers worksheet for 1st grade. Students count from the arrow and circle the named object up to the 10th place, with an answer key that makes checking quick and easy.
This Ordinal Numbers Labels Worksheet has 1st graders label a line of five animals 1st through 5th, then finish four sentences with ordinal words. An answer key is included, so checking takes seconds.
This ordinal numbers worksheet helps 1st graders color the shape in a named position and write 1st through 6th on the line. An answer key is included for quick, no-prep practice.
This ordinal numbers racecar activity is a spin-and-park race game for kindergarten to 3rd grade that practices first through eighth. A practice page and answer key are included.
This ordinal numbers words worksheet has 1st graders read prize ribbons from 1st to 6th and write each matching word. A word box and answer key make practice easy.
This ordinal numbers activity has K-2nd grade kids match ladybug number cards to leaf word cards from first to tenth and mark bugs in a parade. Answer key included.
Using this Where's Walter Ordinal Numbers Activity, students describe Walter's location in line at an amusement park with ordinal numbers to build their number sense skills.
First in line, second to none
Ordinal numbers tell position, not how many. First graders learn to say and read 1st, 2nd, 3rd ... 10th and the words first through tenth. They use them to describe a line of kids, the cars in a race or the steps in a recipe: "The red car is 3rd." They also learn the tricky part: you have to know where to start counting from, the left, the right or the front of the line. The click moment comes when a child realizes that 3 apples and the 3rd apple are two very different things.
Ordinal numbers make the most sense when kids can see and move the line. These moves do exactly that.
Give each child ten little cars or paper racers and a finish line. Call out "Put the blue car 4th!" and let them arrange the race. Moving real objects into position makes the difference between counting and ordering crystal clear.
Why it works: kids understand an idea best when they touch it, then draw it, then write it, the order the U.S. Department of Education recommends for elementary math.
Try it withOrdinal Numbers Racecar ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Show a row of animals and have kids label each one 1st, 2nd, 3rd above the picture. Then ask a question that flips the start: "Which one is 2nd from the right?" Pictures let them check their thinking with a finger.
Why it works: children learn more from words and pictures together than from words alone (Mayer, 2009).
Try it withOrdinal Numbers Pictures WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Read out three quick directions: color the 5th star, circle the 2nd star, draw a hat on the 9th. Short daily rounds like this build both listening and number sense, and you can see mistakes at a glance.
Why it works: researchers who compared ten study methods found practice testing is one of the two that work best (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).
Try it withOrdinal Number Directions WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Get kids up, lined up and giggling.
ActivitiesHide Walter somewhere in a row of doors and have kids guess his spot using ordinal words.
Open Where's Walter Ordinal Numbers Activity →
ActivitiesLine up ten kids, then call out swaps: "4th and 7th, trade places!" Everyone checks the new order.
Open Ordinal Numbers Activity →
WorksheetsMatch the word "sixth" to 6th, and so on all the way to tenth.
Open Ordinal Numbers Words Worksheet →Teacher favorites right now: Ordinal Number Directions Worksheet, Ordinal Numbers Descriptions Worksheet and Ordinal Numbers Worksheet.
Ordinal numbers show position or order, like 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Cardinal numbers, like 1, 2 and 3, tell how many.
Line up toys, cars or kids and name each spot out loud: first, second, third. Then ask position questions and let them move the objects. Hands-on lines make the idea click fast.
Those three come from very old words, so they do not follow the "th" pattern. From fourth on, most ordinals just add -th, which kids find reassuring once they spot it.
Most 1st graders work with first through tenth. Some classes stretch to twentieth, especially when talking about days on the calendar.
Loved by 2 million teachers & families
Printables, songs and games for every subject, Preschool through 6th. Ready to teach today, and kids beg for more.
