1
Jump to the next 10
For 8 + 5, jump 2 to reach 10, then 3 more to land on 13. Two small jumps are easier than one big one.
Key Stages 1 and 2 · Free
Number line
Print number lines for homework, or play find-the-number: move the marker to where a number belongs, from 0 to 10 up to negative numbers.
- 4ranges to play
- 5printable lines
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Where does 7 go?
Question 1 of 10 · Score 0
Tap the line to move the marker, or use the arrow keys.
Printable number lines
Five lines on one page, including a blank one to fill in.
How to use a number line
2
Count on to subtract
For 23 − 18, start at 18 and count up: 2 to reach 20, 3 more to 23. The answer is the total jump, 5.
3
Find the middle first
On a 0 to 100 line with only the ends marked, 50 sits halfway and 25 halfway again. Estimate from there.
4
Zero is a starting point
Numbers get smaller to the left, past zero into negatives. −7 is further left, so it is less than −2.
A tip for parents
Let your child draw the jumps. A curved arrow for each step shows you how they are thinking, and it is easier to spot where a sum went wrong than when they only write the answer.
In England, children count back through zero into negative numbers in Year 4, and use them for things like temperatures in Year 5.
Trivela FC
Ready for the full match?
Trivela FC turns number practice into a football game world, from addition facts to 20 through to the times tables. Children practise at their own level, and parents see what they have mastered.
Number line questions parents ask
What is a number line?
A straight line with numbers marked at equal steps, smallest on the left. Children use it to count, add and subtract by making jumps, and to see where numbers sit in relation to each other.
How do you add on a number line?
Start at the first number and jump forward by the second. For 8 + 5, jump 2 to reach 10, then 3 more to land on 13.
How do you subtract on a number line?
Either jump back from the first number, or count on from the smaller number to the larger one. For 23 − 18, count on 2 from 18 to 20, then 3 to 23: the difference is 5.
When do children learn negative numbers?
In England, children count back through zero into negative numbers in Year 4. In Year 5 they use negative numbers in context, such as temperatures, and in Year 6 they work out the gap across zero.