Counting to 100

Counting all the way to 100

You already know how to count small numbers. Counting to 100 is the same idea — you just keep going! It feels like a big mountain to climb, but there is a clever path. Once you see the patterns, 100 is not scary at all. It is friendly and full of order.

In this lesson you will count in ones and in tens, and you will meet the 100 square, a special grid that shows you all the patterns.

Numbers come in tens

Our numbers like to travel in groups of ten. Here are the groups:

• 1 to 10 — the first ten
• 11 to 20 — the teens
• 21 to 30 — the twenties
• 31 to 40 — the thirties
• and so on, all the way up to 91 to 100

Each group is a new "ten". When you finish one group, you start the next. The tricky moment is always the jump at the end of a group — from 29 to 30, or 59 to 60. That is the place where many children pause. The trick is: when you hear the "nine" number, the next number starts a brand new ten.

The counting words

Listen to the names as you count a ten:

twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty.

Do you hear it? The first part stays the same ("twenty") while the second part counts one, two, three. Then we swap to a new first part ("thirty"). Every ten works exactly this way, so once you can count one ten, you can count them all.

Counting in tens

Here is a super-fast way to reach 100. Instead of counting every single number, count only the tens:

10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100.

That is just 10 jumps to get all the way to 100! Counting in tens is like hopping on stepping stones instead of taking tiny baby steps. Say it out loud and clap on each number. It has a lovely rhythm.

Jump	Number	Tens so far
1	10	one ten
2	20	two tens
3	30	three tens
5	50	five tens (half of 100!)
10	100	ten tens

The 100 square

A 100 square is a grid with the numbers 1 to 100 placed in ten rows of ten. The top row holds 1 to 10, the next row holds 11 to 20, and so on.

The 100 square is full of patterns:

• Read across a row and you count in ones: 21, 22, 23, 24…
• Read down a column and you count in tens: 4, 14, 24, 34, 44…
• The last square in each row ends in 0: 10, 20, 30… right down to 100 in the bottom corner.

When you can see the numbers laid out like this, counting feels easy because you can see where you are going.

Worked example 1: filling a gap

Count on from 47. What are the next three numbers?

Say 47, then keep going: 48, 49, 50. Notice the jump from 49 to 50 — we finished the forties and started the fifties.

Worked example 2: counting backwards from 100

Counting down is just counting up in reverse. Start at 100 and step back in tens:

100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10.

This is great practice and it helps you when you take numbers away later. You can do more of this in our lesson on counting backwards and skip counting.

Worked example 3: how many tens and ones?

Look at the number 63. It has 6 tens and 3 ones. The 6 tells you how many full tens you have counted (60), and the 3 tells you the extra ones. Understanding this split is the secret behind every big number — and you can learn more in place value with tens and ones.

Why counting to 100 matters

Counting to 100 is a doorway. Once you can do it, you can:

• Count groups of coins and toys quickly.
• Understand bigger numbers and which is more.
• Get ready for adding, taking away, and even times tables later.

Counting in tens is the very first step towards multiplication. When you say 10, 20, 30, you are really saying "one ten, two tens, three tens" — and that is the ten times table!

Try it yourself

1. Count to 100 out loud with a grown-up. Touch a different finger or take a little step on each number.
2. The tens hop. Now count only in tens — 10, 20, 30 — and clap each time. Can you reach 100 in ten claps?
3. Find the number. Use a 100 square. Point to 34. Now find the number directly below it (it should be 44). What happened? You added a ten!
4. Counting walk. On a walk, count your steps. How far can you get before 100?

Practise a little each day. Soon counting to 100 will feel as easy as counting to 10.