Early math

Helping Children Understand More, Less and Equal

Build meaningful quantity comparisons before introducing comparison symbols.

5 min readParents & educatorsKindergartenLab learning library

In this guide

Printable example related to this guide

Comparison begins with language and visual reasoning. Children should be able to explain which group has more and how they know before using greater-than or less-than symbols.

Match objects one to one

Draw imaginary pairs between two groups. Any objects left without partners show which group has more.

Greater / Smaller Number printable worksheet example — Worksheet exampleGreater / Smaller Number

Use complete sentences

Encourage statements such as seven is greater than four or the blue group has fewer objects. Mathematical language makes the relationship explicit.

Order by Size (Smallest to Largest): White Cat, Tabby Cat, Tarantula printable worksheet example — Worksheet exampleOrder by Size (Smallest to Largest): White Cat, Tabby Cat, Tarantula

Introduce symbols later

Once verbal comparisons are reliable, connect the symbol to the spoken statement. Continue asking the child to read the full comparison aloud.

Helping Children Understand More, Less and Equal

Match objects one to one

Use complete sentences

Introduce symbols later

Put the guide into practice

Animal Winter Sports: Find 5 Differences in the Snow

Greater / Smaller Number

Order by Size (Smallest to Largest): White Cat, Tabby Cat, Tarantula

More / Less: Banana, Corn, Watermelon

Number Bonds to 10: Find the Missing Part