Counting forwards and backwards (age 6+)
Count forwards and backwards in tens from any number (not just multiples of 10)
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Counting forwards and backwards (age 6+) means counting in tens from any two-digit starting number, not only from 10, 20, or 30. When you add ten, the ones digit stays the same and the tens digit goes up by one. When you subtract ten, the ones digit stays the same and the tens digit goes down by one. We will build a short spoken chain both ways, then try without pointing at every step.
Spend about 12 minutes counting forward and backward in tens from a non-multiple start, writing a short chain, checking one jump with tens groups if needed, then doing a fresh backward start.
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Learning resources
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Helicopter Rescue
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Count on and back across two-digit numbers on larger charts for age-6 counting forwards/backwards practice.
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Before you openSave a Count On & Back screenshot crossing a decade (for example 28→32 or 41→37) plus a parent note of the spoken sequence.
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Topmarks · Practice link — not the full lesson
Caterpillar Ordering
Before you open · source notes
Order numbers and complete sequences counting on or back in steps. Choose counting sequences rather than only ordering shuffled cards.
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Before you openSave a completed sequence screenshot and a parent note naming the step size and direction.
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Check understanding
- Count 7, 17, 27, 37 … from a non-multiple starting point
- Count backwards in tens from 83
- Explain the pattern of adding/subtracting 10
“If your child starts at 37 and you ask them to count up in tens, can they say 37, 47, 57, 67 — crossing over into the next hundred without getting stuck?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Procedural
- Subject
- Mathematics
- Domain
- Counting & Cardinality
- Age range
- Ages 6–8
Standards