English Number Games for Kids: Count & Learn Numbers in English
English Numbers for Kids: Learn to count in English with these fun English number games for kids! These number games are perfect for playing at home or in the classroom. Children will learn to count in English while having fun!
Check out our Learn English for Kids series for more English learning fun!
How to count in English
English Numbers for Kids.
Learning to count in English is always based off a number system. When beginning to learn mathematics, we use the base 10 number system.
Base 10 is counting from 0-9. Once you hit 9, you have no more digits to represent the next number, so you change it back to 0 and add a 1.
Children new to math, use this base 10 system to learn how to better understand counting. Knowing the base 10 system allows children to be able to count to 100 as they become better at counting.
Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers
A cardinal number explains and answers the question “how many” of something there are, such as one, two, three ect.
An ordinal number is an adjective which describes the position of the number of an object, for example, first, second, third ect.
Cardinal Numbers
- 0 – Zero
- 1- One
- 2- Two
- 3- Three
- 4- Four
- 5- Five
- 6- Six
- 7- Seven
- 8- Eight
- 9- Nine
- 10- Ten
Ordinal Numbers
- 1st – First
- 2nd – Second
- 3rd – Third
- 4th – Fourth
- 5th – Fifth
- 6th – Sixth
- 7th – Seventh
- 8th – Eighth
- 9th – Ninth
- 10th – Tenth
Number Games for Kids
Find a list of fun number games for kids. Learn to count in English while having fun at home or in the classroom.
1. Blind Toss
What you will need
- Bean bag
- Blind Fold
How to play
Have the children sit in a circle, the teacher will put a mat on the ground with different numbers on it. The children will take turns being blind folded and tossing the bean bag onto the mat. Whatever number the bean bag lands on is the number they have to say that many times and count on their finger too.
Example
If the bean bag lands on the number 4, the child will count to four on his/her fingers and say 4 four times. (four, four, four, four)
2. Count-Off
How to play
This number game for kids will need 10 or more children standing in a circle or a line. The beginner child will start by saying the number 1, children will go down the lines counting to as high as they can until someone says the wrong number. To make it more challenging you can pick children to say the next number at random as well as counting backwards.
3. Number Board Scramble
How to play
Children will be split up into teams, the teacher will have written numbers on the board in a mixed order. When the teacher calls out a number the two players have to run to the board and circle the correct number, whoever circles the correct number wins a point for their team.
As the children become more advanced in their counting, you can make this game more difficult by using addition or subtraction.
4. Tally Markers
What you will need
- Pencils
How to play
With this counting game, children will be given a set of pencils; the teacher will call out a number and the children will have to lay out that amount of correct pencils. The teacher can also write the number out instead of calling it out to help children with better visual recognition.
5. Buzz
How to play
The children will sit in a circle, the teacher will indicate that they have to count to a certain number, for this example they will be counting to 20.
All multiples of 5 should be replaced with “buzz”.
The children go around the circle saying each number and when they get to a multiple of 5 they have to say buzz, if they mess up that child starts back at 1.
When they class is able to count to 20 without any mess ups then they can advance to the next round. A more challenging way to play this game is by adding other words for different number counts or making the numbers larger as well as counting backwards.
Example
1, 2, 3, 4, buzz, 6, 7, 8, 9, buzz, 11, 12, 13, 14, buzz, 16, 17, 18, 19, buzz
6. Treasure Hunt
What you will need
- Prizes
- Treasure maps
How to play
Hide serval prizes in locations around the room. Then write up instructions for each of the locations. Put the children into groups (can also be played as individuals) and allow them to each take a turn trying to find the treasure.
Example
One of the instructions could say “start at the corner of the room by the door. Walk 7 steps towards the window, 9 steps to the right, 3 steps backwards and 10 steps to the left to find your treasure”
7. Roll and Smack
What you will need
- Dice
- Swatter
How to play
Children will be given a swatter and a dive to roll, after rolling the dice the children must smack the number with their swatter as fast as they can.
For bigger numbers you can use more then one dice and have the children add up the numbers. To make it more fun put the children into teams, whoever smacks the number first wins.
In this fun number game for kids, you can use this for doing and subtracting as well as counting backwards.
8. Bubble Pop
What you will need
- Bubble wrap
How to play
On some bubble wrap, write numbers in sentence, counting and number form. The teacher will call out a number and the children will have to pop all of the bubbles that associate with that number.
To make it more fun you can have two of the same bubble wraps labeled and the children can race one another to see how can pop all their bubbles first.
9. Matching Cards
What you will need
- A deck of cards
How to play
Children will have number 1-10 laid out in a random order in front of them.
Children will have to match all of the numbers together and put them into order from 1-10.
The first child to have all of their numbers in order wins. You can also have the children count and order them backwards.
10. Hopscotch
What you will need
- Chalk or tape
How to play
This number game can be played inside or outside, although easier to play outside with calk and a flat area.
You can make your hopscotch as short or as long as you want it, filling in the squares with any numbers your child is currently learning.
Have children start at the beginning hopping from one number to the next using one and two feet until they get to the end of the hopscotch lane.
Have the children shout out each number when they land on it. To make it more fun you can scatter the numbers in the hopscotch lane and have the children jump to the numbers in order by finding which one comes next.
11. Twister Math
What you will need
- Homemade twister math board
How to play
You can tape numbers to a twister board ranging from what the children are currently learning. This will be played like normal twister, but the children will place their hands and feet on the numbers instead.
Once the children are more advanced, you can make this game more challenging by adding symbols, coins and shapes to the numbers. You can also have the children answer a math question before finding the number their foot should go too.
English Number Games
Whether you are a teacher, or a parent, many of these number games for kids can be adapted for home or in the classroom. They are super fun games to teach English numbers for kids. Let us know how you go and which number games are your favourite. If you have any other games that teach kids to count let us know! Make sure you also check out our reading games too!
Other English Resources
- English Word Games for Kids
- English Learning Books for Kids
- Learn English starter kit for kids
- Apps to learn English
Teaching Kids English? Check out our series of English learning resources on our LEARN ENGLISH FOR KIDS page. Follow Bilingual Kidspot on Facebook and join our Community Group for Raising Bilingual Kids.
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