Practise comparing numbers to 20 worksheets with bars — kids see which number is longer, then write >, < or =. Every sheet prints with a matching answer key. Two numbers from 1 to 20 drawn as bars — see which is longer, then write >, < or =. Free, no signup.
Opens the builder set to numbers to 20 · 8 pairs per sheet · free, no signup.
Comparing numbers means deciding which of two numbers is bigger, smaller, or whether they're equal, and recording it with the symbols >, < and =. Showing each number as a bar makes it concrete: the longer bar is the bigger number, so a child can see 14 is more than 9 before they ever meet the alligator-mouth trick.
Quick way to teach it: Teach the symbols as a hungry mouth that always opens toward the bigger number: 14 > 9, 6 < 11. Equal bars mean an equals sign. Read it left to right like a sentence — 'fourteen is greater than nine.'
Teach the symbols as a hungry mouth that always opens toward the bigger number: 14 > 9, 6 < 11. Equal bars mean an equals sign. Read it left to right like a sentence — 'fourteen is greater than nine.' Print a fresh sheet, work a few pairs together each day, and check with the answer key — short, regular practice beats one long session.
This is usually taught in Kindergarten & Grade 1. Comparing numbers means deciding which of two numbers is bigger, smaller, or whether they're equal, and recording it with the symbols >, < and =. Showing each number as a bar makes it concrete: the longer bar is the bigger number, so a child can see 14 is more than 9 before they ever meet the alligator-mouth trick.
The greater-than sign > means the number on the left is bigger (5 > 3). The less-than sign < means the left number is smaller (3 < 5). The equals sign = means both numbers are the same (4 = 4). A simple trick: the open, wide end of > or < always faces the bigger number — like a hungry mouth eating the larger amount.
Bars turn comparing from a symbol rule into something you can see. Each number is drawn to scale, so the longer bar is plainly the bigger number — a child decides which is greater by looking, then writes the matching symbol. It builds the meaning behind >, < and = before the shortcut takes over.