Counting Beyond 20 – Numbers and Towers

Support children to develop their ability to verbally count beyond 20 with this practical number towers and cubes 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 towers and cubes provide a clear visual representation of how numbers are built using tens and ones. Children can see the structure of each number, helping them recognise patterns and develop a stronger understanding of how numbers increase beyond 20. The resource can be laminated and cut into sections to create a reusable set of number 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 cards to order numbers, encouraging them to recognise the pattern of the counting system. Ask children to count aloud as they arrange the number towers in sequence and discuss what they notice as the numbers increase. The cards can also be used as a practical building activity. Children can copy the number towers using cubes, constructing their own numbers and 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 cubes Comparing numbers using more and less Developing early place value understanding Use the number towers to explore more and less by asking children to compare two towers and identify which number has more or fewer cubes. Encourage them to explain how they know and look closely at the tens and ones. Adult questioning can extend the learning with prompts such as, “What number comes next?”, “How many cubes are there?”, “Which tower has more?” and “What do you notice about the numbers?” For an additional challenge, give children a numer