Counting Up or Down up to 10

Counting up means saying numbers in order, starting from a smaller number and moving toward a bigger one, like 4, 5, 6, 7. Counting down means saying numbers in the opposite order, starting from a bigger number and moving toward a smaller one, like 7, 6, 5, 4. Between 0 and 10, every number has a neighbor that comes right before it and a neighbor that comes right after it, and counting up or down is simply moving along that chain of neighbors one step at a time.

This idea connects closely to finding the number before, between, or after a number up to 10, since counting up or down is really just repeating that "one step" move again and again in the same direction.

A number line is one of the easiest tools for seeing counting in action. Each number from 0 to 10 sits in its own spot, evenly spaced. Moving to the right means counting up, and moving to the left means counting down.

For more practice reading and placing numbers on this kind of line, take a look at number lines up to 10, which shows how the spacing and order work in more detail.

To count up from any number, say the next number that comes after it. Starting at 2 and counting up gives 2, 3, 4, 5, and so on, all the way up to 10. Counting up is what happens naturally when adding, since each new number is one more than the last. That link is explored further in adding or taking one up to 10.

Example: Count up from 5 to 9.

Say each number in order: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. That is four steps forward, since each step moves to the very next number.

To count down from any number, say the number that comes right before it. Starting at 8 and counting down gives 8, 7, 6, 5, and so on, down to 0. Counting down can feel trickier at first because it goes against the usual order children learn first, so it helps to picture the number line and slide a finger to the left, one number at a time.

Example: Count down from 10 to 6.

Say each number in order: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6. That is four steps backward.

Counting up and down between 0 and 10 is a foundation for comparing numbers, figuring out how many more or fewer objects there are, and later skills like adding and subtracting. Once counting forward and backward feels comfortable within 0 to 10, the same idea stretches to larger ranges of numbers.

Practice tip: Try counting objects, such as fingers or blocks, first while adding one and counting up, then while removing one and counting down. Saying the numbers out loud while pointing to each object or number line spot helps make the order stick.

Related lessons

• Kindergarten