Reading and writing numbers to 20
Read and write numerals from 0 to 20
Lesson
Set out your lesson
“Numerals are the symbols 0 through 20. We read the symbol aloud and write the symbol when we hear the number name. Keep digits clear and in the right order for teens.”
Bring to the table
- Ready numeral cards 0–20, or paper with those numerals already written
- Blank paper and pencil
Extra for the adult
Worked example. Shown 14 → “fourteen.” Dictated “twelve” → write 12, not 21. Dictated “nine” → write 9, not 09.
Optional challenge. For a teen such as 15, write the numeral and mark one ten and five ones with a quick drawing.
What to notice. Save a photo of the written numerals or a parent note of numbers read and written.
Share and support
Compare teaching approaches
Teaching approaches
Gakuva’s recommended starting approach is selected. You can still compare every option.
2 approaches
Numerals are the symbols 0 through 20. We read the symbol aloud and write the symbol when we hear the number name. Keep digits clear and in the right order for teens.
Spend about 15 minutes reading shown numerals and writing dictated numerals to 20.
Read and write numerals 0–20 and match a counted set to a numeral.
Read and write numerals 0–20 and match a counted set to a numeral.
Family records and proof options
Keep a record of your learning
Save photos, notes, and attendance. Export a proof packet for compliance or portfolio reviews.
Learning resources
Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
Illustrative Mathematics · Practice link — not the full lesson
Rainbow Number Line
Before you open · source notes
Learners place numeral cards on a number line while naming and writing numbers. Use it as reading-and-writing practice within 20 with adult support.
Free, no sign-in. A teacher solution is on the same page, so use the student view with your child.
Before you openAsk the learner to read and write two numerals from the line. A completed rainbow does not certify every numeral 0–20.
Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.
Source, access and review notes
Public Illustrative Mathematics task page. The .html address responds HTTP 308 to this URL. An anonymous GET of this URL on 2026-11-11 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt. Where a teacher solution is present, it is on the same page as the student task; this check did not find a separate locked student view. An adult can use the student view section and should not read a solution aloud. Advertising was not observed in the fetched HTML text; that is not a browser, device, or ad-free guarantee. This is a paper or discussion task, not an automatically marked interactive game. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. Diagrams on the page use missing or filename-only alt text, so they are not an accessible image equivalent. Accessibility still depends on an adult describing the picture.
Illustrative Mathematics. “Rainbow Number Line.” Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. External task; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute it.
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — link only
Check understanding
- Read any numeral 0–20 when shown it
- Write numerals 0–20 legibly from dictation
- Represent a number of objects with the correct written numeral
“Can your child read a number like '17' written on paper and write it themselves — and do they know what each digit means?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Procedural
- Subject
- Mathematics
- Domain
- Number Representation & Place Value
- Age range
- Ages 5–7
Standards