How to Teach Ordinal Numbers

We've rounded up the best numbers practice worksheets for young students that are anywhere from preschool early elementary. The resources range from games to PowerPoint presentations to fill-in-the blank activities. They are perfect for teachers looking to supplement their numbers lesson plans, as well as parents looking for some extra practice for their little ones at home. Feel free to download and use the exercises any way you'd like!
As young learners are mastering their numbers, you can start to introduce ordinal numbers. This worksheet will help them connect the dots between one, two, and three and first, second, and third. The resource shows the number in the first column, followed by the ordinal number written in its abbreviation (1st, 2nd, 3rd), and the last column is the entire word written out. By displaying them side by side, students can more easily understand how the ordinal verson of the number connects with the cardinal one.
Here's another fun ordinal numbers worksheet for beginners. There are a few exercises included where students will have to practice writing numbers that have to do with dates, months, and special occasions. Not only will they get to practice both cardinal and ordinal numbers, but they will have a better understanding of how to talk about specific dates on the calendar.
This PowerPoint presentation can be used to help beginners learn numbers one through ten. It's also great for ESL students who are learning math vocabularly. The slides go through how to count to ten and then examples for each number that include fun, adorable images of different objects (ex.- five pairs of scissors, six pencils, seven crayons). Going through the slides will help with memorization of numbers, as well as spelling.
Turn your next numbers lesson into a game with this worksheet! If you're in the classroom, split the kids up into small groups of five or six. They will need something to color with and some dice. To play the game, students will take turns rolling the die. Then, they will pick an animal to color, and the rest of the group will need to write down the number that was rolled and the color that the student chose for the animal. By the end of the game, students will have mastered writing numbers and colors!
If you have older, more advanced students, they'll love the challenge of having to write out big numbers. This worksheet will give them practice reading the large numbers in word format and writing them as a numerical value. The second part of the activity is the opposite - students will be presented with the numerical value and have to write the number in words. (Examples from the worksheet: 4,786, 892, 405).
This is an excellent worksheet for students comfortable with numbers up to 100! There are multiple exercises to give them practice with listening, writing out numbers as words, addition and subtraction, and more. Teachers can use the worksheet as an in-class activity or a homework assignment. It's also great for parents who are looking for extra practice for their kids at home. We recommend using for upper elementary and pre-intermediate students.
Who doesn't love a game of Bingo? Students will enjoy this change of pace from regular lessons. Teachers can decide how to run the activity, but one way to do so is to call out addition and subtraction problems, and the answer is what students will look for on the Bingo card. For more beginner students, you can simply call out the number and have them find it. The game will also help them practice hearing the difference between similar-sounding numbers like 13 and 30.
Here's another fun game for students to play if they're learning bigger numbers, as well as ordinal numbers. Each number that's listed in the set has a matching card that has the number written out in words. Just like with a normal game of dominoes, students will have to match the corresponding numbers. It's a fun warmup activity or way to recap a lesson about numbers.
For more numbers practice worksheets, check out these fun math coloring worksheets!