Ten and Some More: Count Beetles to 20 With a Domino Number Strip

Say "fourteen" slowly, and you hear the four before the ten. No wonder numbers past ten feel like a jumble to young children. This Pre-K teen numbers to 20 worksheet with beetles and dominoes makes the ten visible instead. At the top, a gray strip shows every number from 11 to 20 with the same double-five domino, plus extra dots below. Then two boxes of beetles wait, one in three rows and one in two. Your child counts each box and circles the total in a grid of 1 to 20.

Every teen number hides a ten

Teen numbers are all built the same way: a full ten, then a few more. Teachers sum it up as ten and some more. Once a child sees it, the numbers that come after ten stop being a list to memorize. They become a pattern.

The strip at the top shows that pattern without a word. The upper domino never changes: five dots on each side, ten in all. Underneath, a die adds one to five dots for 11 to 15. From 16 to 20, however, a second domino takes over, with five dots on the left and one to five on the right.

So 14 is the double five and a die with four. Likewise, 12 is the double five and a die with two. Your child can check any answer by finding its picture.

Beetles, one row at a time

Point to the orange box and ask, "How many beetles on the top row?" Then, as your child goes on to count beetles, move to the middle row and the bottom. Counting by rows lets a finger stay on the line, so the place is never lost.

The tricky spot is the middle row of the orange box. Its four beetles sit between the others, so a child may count one twice or skip the first. If the total comes out as 13 or 15, don't name the right one. Instead, say, "Let's tap each beetle and say its number." Most children find the gap on their own.

The blue box has a long top row of seven beetles, then five below. When your child reaches the total, ask, "Can you find that number on the strip?" Seeing ten and two there links the beetles to the dominoes.

Counting to twenty behind a tree

Off the page, teen numbers are easy to meet. On a garden walk, collect pebbles or leaves past ten, then sort them: "Ten here, and three more." At home, line up ten toy cars, then park a few extras beside the row. Ask how many in all. Next, change only the extras, so your child sees that the ten stays put.

Also, Hide and Seek gives a real reason to count to twenty out loud. Let your child be the counter, eyes closed, and listen for the moment they pass ten.

These games make numbers 11 to 20 feel ordinary. Finally, praise the method you saw: "You counted every row, and you checked it on the strip." That is careful work.