When children are counting their fingers and iterating numbers simultaneously, they are coming closer to building number sense. The next obvious step is to learn the difference between 1, 2, and 3, and understand how 1 is smaller than 2, and likewise. All this may sound overwhelming, but can be eased out by using number comparison games.

Why it is important to learn number comparison?

School life is the phase when young children are taught basic skills likely to stay with them throughout life. Number comparison may sound overlookable because of the obviousness but plays an important role in doing daily life activities. Some of the examples that show the importance of learning number comparison are:

• It helps to identify a cheap product from a costlier one
• Number comparison helps in finding physical characteristics comparatively. This means, how 65 lb differs from 45 lb in shape and size becomes evident from comparing numbers.
• Number comparison also helps in identifying the difference between two heights, and volumes and making decisions based on spatial intelligence

In simpler words, number comparison offers a data-driven approach to learning about the things any child sees around.

Advantages of using games to teach number comparison

Many people often ask – “How can I learn number comparison easily?’ Let’s understand why comparing numbers is difficult and what options are the best to consider.

Teaching number comparison becomes difficult when kids are not well-conversed with numbers or have certain learning disorders.

To make the education model more inclusive, learners can be given lots of research-backed alternatives to books for developing number sense, such as:

• worksheets,
• manipulatives,
• number sense activities
• anchor charts
• online games

Amongst these resources, online games are catching up with learners effortlessly. Yes, gamification of concepts in education is a new ‘in’. Research surrounding the importance of gamification of ideas also reveals a lot about the importance of using games in teaching concepts like number comparison, subitizing, spatial differentiation, number sense, number bonds, etc.

Some of the advantages learners can derive from math games for learning number comparison are:

• Games help develop a positive attitude toward maths
• By the way of creating a competition-rich environment, games can help bring fluency to the problem-solving process. The friends vying for a high score in games encourage each other to improve and learn better
• Promote an interactive learning environment where players can share problem-solving strategies and clear any kind of confusion by questioning or following the guidelines to play
• Dissolve fear of math, thereby compelling learners to try better to internalize concepts by repetitive game playing.

So, if you have yet not started using games for teaching basic math skills, it is the right time to do so. Take a look at some online number comparison games that can help master concepts of greater than smaller than equal, and others.

6 online games to learn comparing numbers fun-way

1. Comparing Number Values

It all starts with comparing whole numbers. But, comparing is not limited to whole numbers only. Maths students can become truly proficient when they understand and apply rules for comparing fractions, decimals, and mixed numbers.

This comparing number values game offers an interesting pretext to do so. You get ample exercises in comparison to whole numbers and other types. Further, the learners can choose the difficulty level options as per the confidence built. This game can safely be used for years and is capable of being your learning resource while moving from one grade to a higher one.

Game Link: Web App

2. Compare 2 numbers – Ordering number games

This math game is a brilliant option for befriending beginners with numbers comparison. Especially, children with disorders like dyscalculia find it immensely difficult to cope with signs like ‘<‘, ‘>’, or ‘=’. By playing this game designed to deliver ease of learning, kindergarteners can get their concepts right. With regular practice and doing lots of quizzes, you can find a surge in the comfort of kids with the signs and number relationships.

Games for comparing numbers do not develop ease with only number relationships. They are developed in such a way that these can enhance hand-eye coordination, improve attention span, and master number sense ultimately. So, you may find a multi-faceted improvement in the performance of your children once they start spending their time mastering this game.

Game Link: Web App

3. Comparing Numbers Quiz

Butterworth^[1](2005) in his work proved that children develop the capability of subitizing or guessing the number of objects in a set between years 4-8 broadly. That is why the children of this age group find this game quite interesting as it helps them build confidence about the concepts they have learned. Further, they are advised to use the number line to solve the numeric comparison problems in this game.

Thus, their use of number line manipulatives and an engaging backdrop of this game collectively help incite the zeal for more practice among learners. The quizzes in these games are mostly based on whole numbers. So, when next time your child answers in a snap what is greater – 12 or 17?; you know what to thank!

Game Link: Web App

4. Comparing Numbers

This is a simple comparing numbers game with cute animation. Little hungry crocodiles with open mouths are ready to eat the greater number! So when two numbers appear on the screen, the player must select one crocodile, drag it, and place it between the two numbers. The crocodile mouths resemble less than, more than, and equal signs. Depending on the numbers, the player must select the crocodile that perfectly describes which number is greater or if they are equal.

As this game covers numbers between 1 and 10, it makes a nice choice for kindergarten and grade 1 students. The operation is easy to understand, and kids can play it without difficulty. Plus, it is accessible on tablets and computers, so teachers and parents can run this super fun game on the device of their choice.

Game Link: Web App

5. Math Boxing Comparison

I will call it a self-learning tool rather than merely a game! As the name indicates, this game offers you ample practice in comparing numbers by using boxing as the backdrop. The learners can keep on scoring with every right answer and get a successful punch on the punching bag correspondingly. Also, when they pick the wrong sign, the punching bag hits them back telling them about the error.

The comfort with ‘>’, ‘<‘, and ‘=’ signs is suitably enhanced by practicing this game in your free time. There is an element of time limit added to this game with the help of a countdown timer. So, if players fail to register their option by the time the timer hits zero, they lose their glove. Accuracy and swiftness in thinking, enhancement of working memory, and fine motor skill development are some of the primary advantages you enjoy with this game.

Game Link: Web App

6. Math Tank Comparison

Math Tank Comparison game gives the users the responsibility to steer the tank through safe mines. Every mine is carrying a number comparison hint. If you pick the one with an incorrect hint, it will disable the tank. So, as a learner, you find this game interesting support for learning and practicing number comparisons.

Maneuvering the tank helps build motor skills. Some of the additional benefits possible to gain from this game are hand-eye coordination, improved motor skills, working memory build-up, fast thinking, and of course, relationships among numbers. So, include it in your repertoire when you want a break from the practice books.

Game Link: Web App

What will you gain by playing number comparison games?

Number comparison games have a lot to offer to users in terms of building early number proficiency. By learning to compare numbers the game way, you can fuel your brain with correct practice material. These eventually prepare you well for doing several other basic math operations, such as:

• Arranging numbers in ascending and descending order
• Filling missing numbers in any number line chart
• Ascertaining big and small, heavy and light, tall and short by looking at the data provided
• Solving word problems like ‘ find how many more or how much less,’ etc.

In Conclusion

Number games designed to teach kids how to compare two numbers are a useful resource for teachers and parents. As mentioned before, gaining proficiency in this area can help kids excel in other mathematical concepts as well.

As we know, kids never say ‘no’ to games and activities, incorporating a few online games in your classroom routine can refresh little minds while giving them an opportunity to master differentiating numbers. By blending playfulness with learning objectives, these games will encourage learners to attempt math with enthusiasm and reinforce their skills.

Reference

1. Butterworth, Brian & Varma, Sashank & Laurillard, Diana. (2011). Dyscalculia: From Brain to Education. Science (New York, N.Y.). 332. 1049-53. 10.1126/science.1201536.

Manpreet Singh

An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having  just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’, 

The post 6 Cool Comparing Numbers Games to Play Online appeared first on Number Dyslexia.

Teachers and parents employ games, manipulatives, activities, and other classroom teaching materials to make numeric literacy development fun and result-oriented for children. One such resource is comparing numbers worksheets.

Why use worksheets to teach comparing numbers to kids?

Kids may tend to develop a fear of math if the problems given to them are not picked from daily life situations. Worksheets for comparing numbers are designed keeping engaging props like animals, toy pictures, and garden or play area elements as the backdrop.

That is how kids feel more involved and find math concepts learning an important thing to do. Apart from the engagement factor, the worksheets as teaching material promote contextual learning^[1] in the following ways:

• Offer a variety of number comparison problems to solve
• Help understand the numeric relationships and their underlying results
• Offer practice resources to hone their skills in comparing numbers
• By solving worksheets as a group activity and with the employment of number talk sessions, worksheets can bring better ease in the process of comparing numbers
• Teachers may use these worksheets as home assignments and project work, thus, kids can engage better in learning number comparisons.
• Worksheets help kids organize their learning^[2] process and pay attention to the specific topic rather than getting confused by all types of concept-feeding.
• Increase students’ exposure to the curriculum and help teachers attain the curriculum’s objectives

Having understood the importance of using worksheets for teaching number comparison, let’s take a look at the types of worksheets available for the purpose.

Types of worksheets that can build comfort with numeric comparisons

• Problems with ‘find a smaller number’
• Worksheets on ‘find the bigger number’ problems
• Worksheets with problems based on put >, <, or = signs
• Circle the set with a greater number of objects
• Circle the set with the fewer number of objects
• Pick ‘greater than, ‘Smaller than, or ‘equal to’ according to the relationship shown
• Compare fractions, decimals, and place values

In fact, you can create worksheets with as many aims as possible. Let’s take a look at the worksheet ideas that can be of great help in teaching numbers in comparison to young learners. You can download the free printable PDF versions as well from the links given below.

Free Printable Comparing Number Worksheet 1 [PDF]Download

Free Printable Comparing Number Worksheet 3 [PDF]Download

Free Printable Comparing Number Worksheet 2 [PDF]Download

Free Printable Comparing Number Worksheet 4 [PDF]Download

In addition to the above worksheets, we’ve got you an additional workbook. This workbook includes worksheets with creative and fun number characters that will captivate kids’ attention. The engaging designs make comparing numbers an enjoyable activity, helping children learn how to determine which numbers are larger, smaller, or equal in a playful way.

These worksheets are designed to support kids in developing their number comparison skills while keeping them entertained. By using these creative exercises, children can improve their understanding of number values and how to compare them effectively. This additional workbook is a valuable resource for parents and educators who want to make learning math both fun and educational.

How to drive kids to do well with worksheets?

Children may find worksheets somewhat challenging if they are left to figure these out on their own. So, it is very important to break the ice and introduce worksheets so that kids feel inclined to solve them. Some of the useful tips to drive kids into solving worksheets to master number comparison are:

1. Try to introduce worksheets in an engaging manner. You can pick a character say an animal or cartoon character and cultivate a story^[3], where the character is confused between numbers and kids, helping the character by solving the problem.

2. Conduct a number of talk sessions. You can ask children about strategies and answers and let them write on the board; later they can copy the answer in the worksheet too.

3. Announce rewards. You can bring some engaging treats and rewards to gift to the children when they complete the worksheet.

4. Conduct group discussions. You can conduct a group discussion among children and let them speak out the answers, or come up with solutions. They can also opine about the answer or strategy of other children and explain the reasoning in this process.

Wrapping up,

Comparing numbers becomes a lot more fun when kids have found an engaging way to practice the concept. Worksheets offer ample practice and variety in ways of solving problems making the child confident in number sense and numeric relationships.

References

1. A M Fauziah and T Nurita 2019 J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 1417 012088
2. Lee, Che-Di. (2014). Worksheet Usage, Reading Achievement, Classes’ Lack of Readiness, and Science Achievement: A Cross-Country Comparison. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology. 2. 10.18404/ijemst.38331.
3. Hasibuan, Saftian & Milfayetty, Sri & Mursyid, R.. (2019). Development of Child Worksheets Based on the Story as Subtheme “My Body” to Improve Students’ Speaking Abilities at Al-Ikhlas Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) Medan Amplas. Budapest International Research and Critics in Linguistics and Education (BirLE) Journal. 2. 539-546. 10.33258/birle.v2i4.535.

Manpreet Singh

An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having  just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’, 

The post Free Printable Comparing Number Worksheets [PDF] appeared first on Number Dyslexia.

This number sense allows the students to find the larger or smaller of the two given numbers and their values. And, this process of finding the smaller or bigger from the two numbers is called comparing the numbers. A very easy-to-follow method to learn comparison is doing comparing numbers activities.

Why comparing numbers activities are considered important?

If books tell children to learn, activities drive children towards ‘learning to learn’^[1]. Activities for comparing numbers are metacognitive tools (Baker & Brown, 1984; Flavell, 1985) that allow children to think deeper and strategize to achieve outcomes like:

• Task planning: How to arrive upon the comparative values of two numbers
• Organize an action plan: Collect things needed and apply them logically to find comparisons
• Self-correct or seek guidance to correct: Identify mistakes and change strategy to compare numbers
• Evaluating outcome: Find if the intended purpose is achieved or not; were two numbers having some relationship?
• Finding and sharing about the correctness of strategy chosen: How method chosen helped in comparing numbers.

In a nutshell, the activities allow the students to become aware of their level of understanding or knowledge and give them a reference point from where they can decide their future course of learning.

To top it all, the early learners like kindergarteners and those born with learning disorders related to numbers find it difficult to understand the meaning of signs such as <,>, =, etc. So, they can learn from the activities and develop the number sense.

Now that we know that activities are a well-thought teaching strategy, let’s take a look at the comparing number activities that can enhance a child’s understanding of the relationship between numbers, and that of smaller quantities, larger quantities, etc.

Engaging activities for number comparison

1. Stack the dominoes

In the activity of this comparing number, you collect some dominoes or tiles. You distribute them among children and ask them to stack them up. Naturally, the stack will be taller of that child who has the maximum number of dominoes with him or her.

This activity can tell the child the concept of the greatest number. You can do the same activity by making a pair of two students each, and ask them to measure the height of their respective stacks. Children may count the dominoes or use a measuring scale to understand the concept of smaller or bigger quantity.

2. Fill Icecream cones with marshmallows

Why one number is bigger than the other? This confusion can be cleared with this activity. Take the marshmallows and icecream cones. Now, ask children to fill the cones with a specific number of marshmallows, say 7 and 10, or 5 and 12 (means, use numbers that can tell a clear difference between the two pile sizes children create in cones). By taking a look at the pile size, kids can be told which number is greater and what the smaller number means.

To show how numbers denote a difference in quantities, you can even keep the numbers a secret and after completing the filling process, you can ask children to count their marshmallows. This activity can also be done in the form of a competition where the children can be asked to create the highest pile. So, by adding objects and looking at the collection size, they can get the idea of comparing numbers.

3. Take steps and find length on a race track

Steps of children replace numbers in this outdoor activity. You can do it inside the classroom by making two dummy tracks. Now, ask one child to walk 10 steps and the other one to take 5 steps.

Remember, they should be asked to maintain the step size as the same. So, once the steps are completed, draw the line to mark the end. Difference in the lengths of the two portions can allow children to learn comparing of the numbers.

4. Create human circles

Select a few children of similar build and tell them to make human circles. In the first circle, the number of children can be 5 and in other, you can ask 8-9 children to make a circle. Now, ask one child to count the children in each group.

Once the circles are made, they will find that the circle with more children in it is bigger than the one with fewer students. Thus, you can teach them the concept of number comparison, as well as bigger and smaller size by doing this activity.

5. Play with a classic deck of cards

Purposely choose a deck of the card containing 5 to 10 numbers of two different suits. Now, distribute these cards to two children. Ask them to draw the upper one from their respective decks and show.

Further, let them count the suits, say they will count 5 for 5 of clubs, and so on. The one who has higher of the two wins the set. Thus, with each turn, you can reinforce the concept of number comparison in their minds.

Wrapping up,

Number comparison activities enhance the cognition functions of the child. You can encourage them to strategize, share the reason why one is bigger than the other, and give them mental nudges to drive their mind into activity to maximize the output from these activities. Not only these activities will make memories for them, but also will give them a takeaway that is going to stay with them for life.

References:-

1. Learning to learn, C.E. Weinstein, in International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2001

Manpreet Singh

An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having  just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’, 

The post 5 Must-Try Comparing Numbers Activities for kids appeared first on Number Dyslexia.