Before we get to the Ordinal Number Printables, you may like to try some of these simple ideas. They are a great way of weaving in incidental learning throughout the day.
Line ups
These have to be the quickest, easiest, and most fun way to build understanding of ordinal numbers.
Now before you think lining up your students think lining up objects!
Lining up the students is really not the time to discuss ordinals! Especially in Kindergarten and Preprimary!
Let the students use anything that there is a lot of, and they don’t even have to be the SAME thing, although it does make tidying up easier! THings like LEGO, pencils, stuffed animals, cars, trains, any objects that your kiddos are interested in.
- Start out with 3-5 objects
- Get your kiddos to point to the object and say it’s position
- Then use ordinal cards and match them to the objects
- Ask students to find 2nd, tenth object in a group
Days of the Week, Calendar Time, & 100th Day of School
Using calendar time is a great real life situation to help teach ordinals.
- talk about which is the 1st, 2nd day of the week and month
- Counting how many days at school in a build up to the 100th day of school is another meaningful daily activity too. We have 100th Day ten frames & visuals in our Watercolour Rainbow Decor packs
Daily Schedules & Routines
- Talking about the sequence of the day is allso another real life use of ordinals.
- Using a visual timetable with 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc added will make learning ordinal numbers very meaningful.
Sequencing & Procedures
These are 2 of the main writing genres in Foundation, Pre primary & Grade 1, which also happen to use the language of ordinal numbers.
- They don’t have to be formal written tasks
- Discussion of the steps involved are just as effective
Sports
Of course sports and running games are also a natural ordninal numbers learning environment.
- Tread carefully and make sure the situation isn’t too competitive. I usually look to real life sporting races.
Story Books & Number Rhymes
Narratives are a songs are also natural incidental teaching opportunities for ordinal numbers.
Below are our Ordinal Numbers Teaching Resources and Printables for explicit teaching. Click each image to download.