Comparing numbers flashcards and worksheets

This mega pack of 8 fun and hands-on activities is a great way to work on comparing numbers.

Comparing numbers can be challenging for children in preschool, and especially those with Autism and special needs. The activities / games were designed with children with Autism and special needs in mind using a gradual difficulty. This enables you as a parent or a teacher to build on the child’s learning and have many opportunities to practice.

Why learn to compare numbers?

Learning to compare numbers is an important skill in math for children in elementary school. It is mandatory to learn to compare numbers before learning addition and substruction for example. Comparing is also a fundamental skill used in other subjects like science, and in life in general.

How to teach children to compare numbers?

The best way to teach children to compare numbers is to use toys, cups, fruits, vegetables, and other objects to make the exercise more visual, especially at the beginning. Rather than using words, comparing objects makes the exercise less abstract and more approachable for children, especially those with autism and developmental delay.

We chose to start by focusing on comparing groups or piles of objects rather than numbers. We also start by asking the child to identify the bigger group from the smaller one. Later, we introduce greater, smaller, and equal symbols. In other words, we offer, in this resource, 8 activities with 4 levels of increasing difficulty:

Comparing piles of objects (more or less)
Counting objects then comparing them (more or less)
Comparing groups of objects and writing the symbol (<,>,=)
Comparing numbers and writing the symbol (<,>,=)

Each level of difficulty introduces a new challenge. For example, children should learn to compare two sets of physical objects they can see in front of them before they can compare two numbers (symbols).

Also, writing the symbols for comparison (<,>,=) is an additional challenge that should only be introduced after the child is able to compare two sets of 3D or 2D items. This is because “greater than” and “smaller than” symbols are a bit confusing. This trick helps a lot, try explaining to your child that the “small” end of the symbol always points to the smaller number, like this:

In order to learn to compare numbers, this resource offers :

1 mat to compare physical objects or cards
72 flashcards with different activities and activities and different levels of difficulty
3 worksheets with over 140 comparisons containing 1 and 2 digits numbers.

Comparing numbers activities

These activities follow an incrementally increasing difficulty. So if your child is a beginner, you should start with the first, then the second, and so on. In not, you can choose the activity to start with based on the level of your child.

Activity 1: Learning more and less Mat

Comparing a pile of distinctively different quantities of physical objects is the easiest way to teach children to compare numbers. Because children can just by looking guess which pile contains more objects, they easily understand how to answer “which is more” and “which is less” questions.

In order to teach your child to compare numbers, you can follow these steps

take the mat and put 9 excavators on the left side and 3 flowers on the right (like the picture above).
explain to your child that the right side (with excavators) contains more than the left side (with the flowers). You should exaggerate your facial expression while saying the word more.
ask your child again to show you the side that contains more.
then ask him to show you the side that has less.
Repeat this game with different cards from the printable file below (elephants or shoes) or different objects (like marbles, building blocs or lego, buttons, etc.) to practice more and less with your child.

You can print this game here:

Comparing numbers Activity 1_Learning More and Less Mat.pdf

Activity 2: Learning More versus Less Flashcards

This activity also develops the ability of the child to compare two piles of objects. The only difference is that this one is done in 2 dimensions.

Here we ask the child the compare pictures, not numbers because it’s easier to compare things that are visual.

In order to test your child’s understanding of more and less, we include 16 flashcards:

8 flashcards ask the child to identify the smaller pile
8 flashcards ask the child to show the bigger pile

Print the Activity :

Comparing numbers Activity 2_Learning More versus Less Flashcards.pdf

Activity 3: Count and Compare Flashcards (more or less)

Before using this Activity to teach your child to compare numbers, he should, first, be able to count objects and match quantities with numbers.

This activity introduces another challenge which is to count the numbers, then compare the bigger to the smaller pile. This transition from comparing quantities to numbers is important for many reasons

it is easier to compare physical objects than it is to compare abstract symbols like 1 and 3
for children with autism that are mainly visual, this transition enables them to make an abstract notion of comparison into a real one they can touch and feel.

You can print this Activity here:

Comparing numbers Activity 3_Count and Compare Flashcards (more or less).pdf

Activity 4: Count and Compare Flashcards (<,>,= )

My daughter with autism struggled to understand the symbols for comparing numbers. that’s why writing the symbols < and > was be introduced last.

When reaching this level, you should take the time to explain “greater than >” and “smaller than<” before asking the child to put the correct symbol on the flashcards

Click here to print:

Comparing numbers Activity 4_Count and Compare Flashcards (<,>,= ).pdf

Activity 5: Compare 1 digit numbers Flashcards

At this point, your child should be able to compare numbers.

He can use the flashcards as much as he wants until he is comfortable comparing 1 digit numbers.

Print the pdf file here:

Comparing numbers activity 5_Compare 1 digit numbers Flashcards.pdf

Activity 6: Compare 2 digits numbers Flashcards

In this activity, your child used flashcards to compare two digits numbers together and put the correct symbol.

Print here:

Comparing numbers activity 6_Compare 2 digits numbers Flashcards.pdf

Activity 7: Compare 2 digits numbers Clip Cards

In this game, your child does exactly the same kind of comparison as the previous activity but using clips. Children love clip cards and will gladly practice comparing numbers on them.