1st Grade Comparison Symbols to 100 Worksheet: Mark the Sign

Put 89 next to 90, and a six-year-old may say 89 is bigger, because 8 and 9 both look like large digits. The position of each digit is what counts. This 1st grade comparison symbols to 100 worksheet shows eight boxes. In each one, a pink question mark sits between two numbers, for example 73 and 83, or 91 and 91. Below, three circles hold the signs for less than, equal and greater than, and your child marks the one that fits. The order of the three signs changes from box to box, so your child has to read each symbol, not just its position. A second page gives the answer key.

Why the tens digit decides first

To compare two-digit numbers, look at the tens first. The number with more tens is greater, whatever its ones. Only when the tens match does the ones digit decide.

This page puts that rule to work. In 90 and 89, the tens digit is 9 against 8, so 90 wins, even though 89 has a large 9 in its ones place. In 10 and 13, the tens are equal, so the ones settle it.

Comparison symbols add a second skill. The open side of the sign faces the greater number, and the point faces the smaller one. Many children remember this as a mouth that eats the bigger number. Then the sign becomes something to read, not to guess. Symbols speak.

At the table: 90 and 89

Start with an easy box, like 10 and 40. Ask your child to point to the tens in each number and say, "Which one has more tens?"

The first box, 90 and 89, is the likely slip. Some children see two 9s on the right side and pick less than. If that happens, cover the ones with a finger and ask, "How many tens does each number have?"

Another trap is the changing order of the signs. In some boxes the less than sign comes first; in others it is last. You might ask, "Which way does this sign open?"

Finally, the box with 91 and 91 invites a pause. Ask your child to read both numbers aloud before marking.

Price tags, a game board and 100

Two-digit numbers are everywhere at home. While you shop, compare two price tags and ask which costs more. Also, look at page numbers in a book and ask your child which page comes later.

Chutes and Ladders has a board numbered from 1 to 100, which makes it ideal for comparing. After each turn, ask whose square is greater, and let your child write the sign on a scrap of paper between the two numbers.

Practice with numbers up to 100 grows from moments like these. Once the page is complete, check it with the answer key together. Then name the effort: "You looked at the tens first in every box."