Number Tracing Worksheets 1-20

Writing the numeral and counting the amount together

Children often learn to write digits and to count as two separate activities, which is why a child can write a neat 8 and still not be sure whether eight is more than six. Each of these pages puts the numeral and the matching quantity side by side. After tracing, ask the child to count the objects aloud and touch each one, then point back at the numeral they wrote.

Where number reversals come from

Reversed digits, most often 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9, are normal well into the early school years and are usually a memory issue rather than a vision one. The child remembers the shape but not which way it faces. Tracing a large dotted numeral repeatedly helps because the movement itself becomes familiar. Correct gently and without alarm; most reversals fade on their own.

A reasonable order to work through

One through five first, since these are the amounts a child can usually recognize without counting. Then six through ten, which is where careful one-to-one counting starts to matter. Eleven through twenty come last, and they are worth slowing down for: the names eleven, twelve, and thirteen do not follow the pattern the way twenty-one and twenty-two later will.

Counting the objects accurately

Watch how the child counts rather than just checking the total. Touching each object once while saying one number word is the skill being built. Children who count faster than they point, or who count the same object twice, have not yet secured one-to-one correspondence, and the higher-numbered pages will show this more clearly than the low ones.

Printing Tips

• Print at 100% or Actual Size so the dotted numeral keeps its intended size.
• Use a plastic sleeve and dry-erase marker for numbers that need repeated practice.
• Print pages 1 to 5 first rather than the whole set; most children work through these in order.
• Black and white by design, so grayscale printing loses nothing.

Frequently Asked Questions