Counting Beyond 20 – Number Shapes

Support children to develop their ability to verbally count beyond 20 with this practical number shapes maths activity. The resource is designed to support children working towards the Early Learning Goal (ELG) of verbally counting beyond 20 and recognising the pattern of the counting system. The number shapes provide a clear visual representation of tens and ones, helping children begin to see how numbers are built and how the counting pattern continues beyond 20. This makes the resource particularly useful for developing early understanding of place value alongside counting skills. The resource can be laminated and cut into sections to create a reusable set of number shapes and cards. There are several ways to use the resource, making it suitable for focus group activities, continuous provision or classroom display. Children can use the number shapes to order numbers, helping them recognise the sequence and identify the patterns that occur as numbers increase. Encourage children to count aloud as they place the numbers in order. The number shapes can also be used to build numbers. Children can copy the example cards using their own number shapes, developing their understanding of how tens and ones combine to make larger numbers. Children can practise: Verbally counting beyond 20 Recognising numerals beyond 20 Ordering numbers Recognising patterns in the counting system Understanding tens and ones Building numbers using practical resources Comparing numbers using more and less Developing early place value understanding Use the number shapes to explore more and less by asking children to compare two numbers and identify which has more or fewer. Encourage them to explain how they know and look at the tens and ones to support their reasoning. Adult questioning can extend the activity with prompts such as, “What number comes next?”, “How many tens are there?”, “Which number is more?” and “What do you notice about the pattern?” For an additional challenge, give children