Counting Bigger Groups 10 20
Part of the Math for Young Minds curriculum — designed for neurodivergent students, grounded in real-world examples.
📋 Session plan (for teachers)
Session 2 — Counting bigger groups (10–20)
Kindergarten · Math for Young Minds Total time: ~17 minutes Common Core: K.CC.A.2, K.CC.A.3 Today's idea: We can keep counting past ten — eleven, twelve, all the way to twenty.
What students will be able to do
By the end of this session, the student can:
- Count things in a group all the way up to 20.
- Keep pointing as the numbers get bigger.
- Say the right number after ten — eleven, twelve, thirteen…
Materials
- Worksheet (one per student)
- Pencil or crayon for marking
- The classroom itself — windows, stairs, classmates — things to count
Substitution: If your room has fewer than 10 windows, count chairs, ceiling tiles, books on a shelf, or fingers and toes in a small group. Anything you have 10–20 of works.
New words
| Word | Meaning we use in class |
|---|---|
| bigger numbers | Numbers past 10, all the way to 20. |
That's the entire vocabulary for today. No other terms.
Heads-up — common confusions
- "Ten-one, ten-two." After ten, some kids say "ten-one, ten-two" instead of eleven, twelve. That's normal. Gently say the right word together.
- 13 and 30 sound alike. Same with 14 and 40. Slow down and stretch the word: "thir-teen."
- Losing track partway. A child may stop and start over from 1. That's fine. Count to where they stopped, not from 1.
Plan
1 · Hello & today's idea — 2 min
"Last time we counted up to ten. Today we're going bigger — all the way to twenty."
Hold up both hands. Count out loud, wiggling each finger: "One, two, three… nine, ten."
"Ten! But numbers don't stop there. Watch."
Keep going slowly: "E-leven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen…" up to twenty.
"Those are bigger numbers — past ten, all the way to twenty."
2 · Hands-on explore — 5 min
Stand up. Point at the windows.
"Let's count the windows together. Point with me."
Count slowly, pointing at each window: "One, two, three…" Stretch thir-teen, four-teen if you get there.
"How many windows? The last number is how many."
Now try classmates.
"Stand up. We'll count every friend. Touch the top of their head gently as we count."
Walk around the circle. Count out loud together, one head at a time.
Watch for:
- Pointing as they say each number.
- Saying eleven, twelve (not ten-one, ten-two).
- Staying with the group instead of racing ahead.
If a child says "ten-one," smile and say "e-leven" together.
3 · Connect to the math — 3 min
Come back to the rug or seats.
"Counting past ten works the same way. Each thing gets one number. Keep pointing. The last number is how many."
Hold up a worksheet. Show a row of 12 stars.
"Let's count these stars together. Point with me."
Count slowly: "One, two, three… ten, e-leven, twelve."
"Twelve stars. The last number is how many."
4 · Practice with support — 5 min
Pass out the worksheet. Stand near students who need extra help.
"Touch each one. Say a number for each. The last number is how many."
- Problem 1 (together): Count 12 stars. Point at each one. Do this one out loud as a class.
- Problem 2 (on your own): Count 16 dots.
- Problem 3 (on your own): Count 19 fish.
- Stretch: Draw 14 hearts. Then count them to check.
If a child gets stuck, kneel beside them. Point with their finger. Say the tricky words slowly together: thir-teen, four-teen, fif-teen.
5 · What we did + Try at home — 2 min
"Today you counted bigger numbers — all the way to twenty. You pointed at each one. The last number was how many."
Hold up ten fingers, then wiggle them again. "How many if I count them twice? Twenty!"
"Tonight, find a group at home with more than ten things. Stairs. Windows. Books on a shelf. Buttons on a remote. Spoons in the drawer. Touch each one. Say a number for each. The last number is how many."
Observation rubric — what to notice in this session
Use this during the session, not as a test. One observation per student is plenty.
| Where the student is | What you'd see |
|---|---|
| Developing | Loses track after ten, or says "ten-one, ten-two." May stop pointing as numbers get bigger. Needs your hand to guide. |
| Using | Counts past ten with the right words (eleven, twelve, thirteen…). Keeps pointing. Answers "how many?" with the last number. |
| Extending | Counts smoothly to 20 without help. May start noticing the pattern (sixteen, seventeen, eighteen…) or count past 20. |
No fail state. "Developing" today is "using" next week.
What's next (Session 3)
In Session 3 — More, less, same, we look at two piles of things and figure out which has more, which has less, or whether they're the same.
✏️ Worksheet (for students)
Math for Young Minds · Kindergarten
2 · Counting bigger groups (10–20)
[ Hello ] → [ Explore ] → [ Connect ] → [ Practice ← we are here ] → [ Try at home ]
My name: _____________________________
Today
Keep pointing. Keep counting. Past ten, all the way to twenty.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Problem 1 — together
How many stars? Point at each one. Count out loud.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ │
│ │
│ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ │
│ │
│ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
➤ Circle the number:
┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐
│ 10 │ │ 11 │ │ 12 │ │ 13 │ │ 14 │
└──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘
Problem 2 — on your own
How many dots? Touch each one.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● │
│ │
│ ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● │
│ │
│ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
➤ Circle the number:
┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐
│ 14 │ │ 15 │ │ 16 │ │ 17 │ │ 18 │
└──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘
Problem 3 — on your own
How many fish? Point at each one.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 │
│ │
│ 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 │
│ │
│ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
➤ Circle the number:
┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐
│ 17 │ │ 18 │ │ 19 │ │ 20 │ │ 21 │
└──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘
Problem 4 — stretch
Draw 14 hearts 💗. Then point at each one and count.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
➤ Circle the number you got:
┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐
│ 12 │ │ 13 │ │ 14 │ │ 15 │ │ 16 │
└──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘
Today's words
| word | what it means |
|---|---|
| bigger numbers | numbers past 10, all the way to 20 |
🏠 Try at home tonight
Find a group of things at home with more than 10. Touch each one. Say a number for each. The last number is how many.
- 🪜 Stairs from one floor to another
- 🪟 Windows in your house
- 📚 Books on one shelf
- 📺 Buttons on a remote control
- 🥄 Spoons in the drawer
🏠 Family guide (for parents)
Math for Young Minds · Kindergarten · Session 2
Tonight: count something bigger than ten
What your child did today
In class today, we practiced counting bigger groups — all the way up to 20.
We counted windows in the classroom. We counted stairs. We counted classmates.
The big idea is the same as before: each thing gets one number, and the last number you say is how many. We just kept going past ten.
Numbers after ten have their own special names — eleven, twelve, thirteen — and those take a little practice.
Why this matters
Counting past ten is a real jump. The words stop following a simple pattern, and the groups get big enough that kids have to slow down and keep track.
This is where pointing at each thing really matters. It's how the brain stays organized when the numbers get longer.
We're not in a rush. Understanding comes before speed. Speed shows up on its own later.
🏠 Try this tonight (1 minute)
Find one group of things at home with more than 10 items. Touch each one. Say a number for each. The last number is how many.
| Things to count |
|---|
| Stairs from one floor to another |
| Windows in your house |
| Books on one shelf |
| Buttons on a remote control |
| Spoons in the drawer |
The script:
"Let's count these together. Touch each one. Say a number for each."
Move slowly past ten. If they pause, pause with them.
When they finish, ask:
"How many?"
A few things you might hear, and what to do:
- If they say "ten-one, ten-two" instead of eleven, twelve — that's normal. Just say the right word together and keep going.
- If they mix up thirteen and thirty, or fourteen and forty — slow down and stretch the word: thir-TEEN.
- If they lose track partway, no need to start from 1. Count from where you stopped.
Words your child is learning
- Bigger numbers — numbers past 10, all the way to 20
That's the whole list for today.
If your child says…
"I already know this."
Good. Ask them to count a bigger group — 15 or 18 things. Watch whether they point at each one and say each number clearly. Accuracy is the win, not speed.
"This is hard."
That's okay. The teen numbers are genuinely tricky. Count along with them, slowly. Say the words together. Their understanding is growing — it just takes a few tries.
"I don't want to."
Fine. Try again tomorrow with something they care about — toys, snacks, steps to their bedroom. Counting at this age should feel like noticing things, not doing work.
What's next
In our next session, we'll look at two piles of things and figure out which has more, which has less, or whether they're the same.
Thanks for taking a minute tonight. These small kitchen-table moments are where math lives.
— Math for Young Minds
🔑 Cheat sheet (visual)
🔢 Counting bigger numbers (up to 20)
The number road past ten
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
↓
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
↑
keep going!
Bigger numbers = numbers past 10, all the way to 20.
Say it out loud
10 → "ten"
11 → "e-LEV-en"
12 → "TWELVE"
13 → "thir-TEEN"
14 → "four-TEEN"
15 → "fif-TEEN"
16 → "six-TEEN"
17 → "seven-TEEN"
18 → "eight-TEEN"
19 → "nine-TEEN"
20 → "TWEN-ty"
⭐ Try it together — 12 stars
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
↑
"twelve"
12 stars
Touch. Say a number. Last number = how many.
🔵 On your own — 16 dots
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
↑
16
🐟 On your own — 19 fish
🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟
🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟
↑
19
❤️ Stretch — draw 14 hearts
❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
↑
14
🪟 Count your world
windows 🪟 🪟 🪟 🪟 🪟 🪟 ...
stairs 🪜 step, step, step ...
friends 🧒 🧒 🧒 🧒 ...
Pick a group. Point to each one. Say a number.
The Big Rules
✅ Touch each thing — even past ten. ✅ Say "eleven, twelve, thirteen..." after ten. ✅ Stretch the word: "thir-TEEN", "four-TEEN". ✅ If you lose track, keep going from where you stopped.
❌ Don't say "ten-one, ten-two" — say "eleven, twelve". ❌ Don't start over from 1.
🧠 Try in your head
🍎 🍎 🍎 🍎 🍎
🍎 🍎 🍎 🍎 🍎
🍎 🍎 🍎
How many?
. . . .
↓
13
🏠 At home
Find a group bigger than 10. Touch each one. Say a number.
🪜 stairs 🪟 windows 📚 books
🥄 spoons 🔘 buttons
Next time: more, less, or the same? 🍎🍎 vs 🍎🍎🍎