BrainSnail

Math · Unit 1

Counting and Numbers

Counting, number names, comparing and place value

Counting looks like the simplest thing in mathematics and is actually a bundle of separate ideas: that objects can be put in one-to-one correspondence with number words, that the last word said is the total, and that the total does not depend on the order you counted in.

The unit covers number names and symbols, ordinal position, comparing quantities, and place value - the idea that the same digit means something different depending on where it sits, which is the foundation everything later rests on.

This unit breaks down into 21 short steps and 120 questions, starting at difficulty 1 and building to 2. Below you can see exactly what it covers, how the path is structured, and worked examples with explanations.

Steps
21
Questions
120
Difficulty
1-2

What this unit covers

  • Counting Objects
  • Number Names and Symbols
  • First, Second, Third
  • Tens and Ones
  • More, Less and Equal

Where this fits

The first unit in Math. Adding and Subtracting assumes place value from here.

Where people slip

Place value is the hard part, not the counting. A child who can count to a hundred may still not see why 43 and 34 are different numbers.

How the unit is structured

Counting and Numbers runs as 21 short steps that unlock in order. 15 are practice rounds and 6 are challenge rounds that pull together everything before them. Questions start at difficulty 1 and climb to 2 as you progress.

Step 1 · easierStep 21 · harder

Challenge rounds

Example questions

30 real questions from this unit, with the answer and the reason behind it, grouped by what they practise. There are 120 in the unit altogether.

Counting Objects

  • Choose all that applyLevel 1

    1. Which groups have exactly 3 items?

    • 🍎🍎🍎correct
    • ⭐⭐⭐correct
    • 🔵🔵
    • 🐱🐱🐱🐱

    The apple group and the star group each have 3 items.

  • Fact or fibLevel 1

    2. This shows 4 turtles: 🐢🐢🐢🐢

    Answer: True

    Counting the turtles gives 4, so this is true.

  • Fill the blankLevel 1

    3. 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪 There are ____ cookies.

    • 5correct
    • 4
    • 6
    • 3

    Counting the cookies gives 5.

  • Match the pairsLevel 1

    4. Match each group to how many items it has.

    Answer: 🍎🍎 = 2; ⭐⭐⭐ = 3; 🔵 = 1

    Count each group: 2 apples, 3 stars, and 1 dot.

  • Build the sentenceLevel 2

    5. Build a true sentence about skip counting.

    Answer: We count by tens to reach fifty

    10, 20, 30, 40, 50: counting by tens reaches fifty.

  • Guess the numberLevel 2

    6. How many months are in one year?

    Answer: 12 months

    A year has 12 months.

First, Second, Third

  • Build the sentenceLevel 1

    7. Build a true sentence about the alphabet.

    Answer: The first letter is A

    A is at the front, so the first letter is A.

  • Fact or fibLevel 1

    8. In the letters A, B, C, the letter B is in second place.

    Answer: True

    A is first, B is second, C is third. So this is true.

  • Fill the blankLevel 1

    9. Monday is the ____ day of the school week.

    • firstcorrect
    • second
    • third
    • last

    The school week starts on Monday, so it is the first day.

  • Multiple choiceLevel 1

    10. You line up three toys: dog, cat, mouse. Which toy is second?

    • Catcorrect
    • Dog
    • Mouse
    • Bear

    First is the dog, second is the cat, third is the mouse.

  • Choose all that applyLevel 2

    11. Which positions come after fifth?

    • sixthcorrect
    • seventhcorrect
    • third
    • first

    Sixth and seventh come after fifth; third and first come before it.

  • Match the pairsLevel 2

    12. Match each short form to its position word.

    Answer: 1st = First; 2nd = Second; 3rd = Third

    1st is first, 2nd is second, and 3rd is third.

More, Less and Equal

  • Fact or fibLevel 1

    13. 9 is less than 5.

    Answer: False

    9 is actually more than 5, so this is false.

  • Multiple choiceLevel 1

    14. Which is the smaller number: 3 or 9?

    • 3correct
    • 9
    • They are equal
    • 6

    3 is less than 9, so 3 is the smaller number.

  • Odd one outLevel 1

    15. Three of these numbers are less than 5. Which one is the odd one out?

    • 8correct
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4

    2, 3 and 4 are all less than 5, but 8 is bigger.

  • Put in orderLevel 1

    16. Put these numbers in order from least to greatest.

    Answer: 2 -> 4 -> 6 -> 8

    Counting up gives 2, 4, 6, 8.

  • Choose all that applyLevel 2

    17. Which numbers are less than 25?

    • 19correct
    • 22correct
    • 30
    • 41

    19 and 22 are both under 25; 30 and 41 are not.

  • Fill the blankLevel 2

    18. Put the right sign: 14 ____ 9.

    • >correct
    • <
    • =
    • +

    14 is greater than 9, so we use >.

Number Names and Symbols

  • Build the sentenceLevel 1

    19. Build a true sentence about counting order.

    Answer: The number five comes after four

    When we count 4 then 5, five comes after four.

  • Fill the blankLevel 1

    20. The number after 6 is ____.

    • 7correct
    • 5
    • 8
    • 6

    When we count 6, 7, the number after 6 is 7.

  • Multiple choiceLevel 1

    21. Which number is 'four'?

    • 4correct
    • 3
    • 5
    • 14

    The word four means the number 4.

  • Choose all that applyLevel 2

    22. Which of these are spelled correctly as number words?

    • thirteencorrect
    • twentycorrect
    • elevteen
    • fivety

    Thirteen and twenty are correct; the other two are misspelled.

  • Match the pairsLevel 2

    23. Match each number word to its symbol.

    Answer: Eleven = 11; Fifteen = 15; Twenty = 20

    Eleven is 11, fifteen is 15, and twenty is 20.

  • Odd one outLevel 2

    24. Which one is NOT the same as 15?

    • fiftycorrect
    • fifteen
    • 1 ten 5 ones
    • 15

    Fifteen, 1 ten 5 ones, and 15 all mean 15, but fifty does not.

Tens and Ones

  • Fact or fibLevel 1

    25. The number 15 has 5 tens and 1 one.

    Answer: False

    Not quite: 15 has 1 ten and 5 ones.

  • Fill the blankLevel 1

    26. 14 is 1 ten and ____ ones.

    • 4correct
    • 1
    • 5
    • 14

    14 has 1 ten and 4 ones.

  • Multiple choiceLevel 1

    27. How many tens are in the number 12?

    • 1correct
    • 2
    • 12
    • 0

    12 is made of 1 ten and 2 ones, so it has 1 ten.

  • Build the sentenceLevel 2

    28. Build a true sentence about place value.

    Answer: The number 24 has two tens

    24 is 2 tens and 4 ones, so it has two tens.

  • Choose all that applyLevel 2

    29. Which numbers have 4 in the ones place?

    • 14correct
    • 24correct
    • 41
    • 40

    14 and 24 both end in 4; 41 ends in 1 and 40 ends in 0.

  • Odd one outLevel 2

    30. Which number does NOT have 3 tens?

    • 43correct
    • 30
    • 34
    • 37

    30, 34 and 37 each have 3 tens, but 43 has 4 tens.

Where these questions come from. Each unit starts as a plan of the concepts it should cover and the difficulty it should span. Questions are written against that plan with AI assistance, then checked by a validator that rejects anything without a single defensible answer, an explanation, or plausible wrong options. How we write questions sets out the whole process, and corrections are fixed in the bank and reach the site and the app the same day.

How you practise

This unit mixes 14 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.

  • Build the sentence
  • Choose all that apply
  • Fact or fib
  • Fill the blank
  • Guess the number
  • Match the pairs
  • Multiple choice
  • Odd one out
  • Picture question
  • Put in order
  • Sort into groups
  • Spell it
  • True or false
  • Type the answer

Practise Counting and Numbers

120 questions across 21 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.

Play this unit

More units in Math

See all 18 units in Math →