How it works
- Pick your numbers: 0 to 5, 0 to 10, the teens, or any you choose.
- Choose a size and handwriting style. The sheet on the right updates as you go.
- Decide on tracing only, or trace then write with empty space at the end of each row.
- Download and print. All the numbers come out in one PDF.
Forming numbers the right way
Most numbers start at the top, just like letters. Children who start a 5 at the bottom or draw an 8 as two circles find numbers harder to write quickly later on. The start dot shows exactly where to put the pencil, and the arrow shows the first move. For 4 and 5, which take two strokes, the numbers 1 and 2 show the order.
Ideas for number practice
Count it, then write it
Before tracing a number, have children count out that many counters, blocks or claps. Writing a number means more when it stands for a quantity they just made.
Watch for reversals
Reversing 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9 is common and normal in Senior Infants. Extra practice with start dots on just those numbers helps.
Teen numbers
Say “ten and three more” for 13. The ten frame worksheets show the same idea in pictures.
Irish curriculum links
- Stage 1Numeration and counting: children connect each numeral with the amount it stands for, recognising numbers within 10 first.
- ContinuumChildren discuss, draw and write numbers 1 to 10, then to at least 20, with objects and pictures to support them.
- Fine motorForming numerals uses the same hand control as letter formation, so the two are often practised together.
The number words on these sheets are in English. Children learn Irish alongside English from Junior Infants, and counting a haon, a dó, a trí is among the first things they say as Gaeilge, so say both as they trace, or add the Irish word in pencil.
The NCCA’s home-learning ideas include flashing a dice, domino or card to recognise amounts quickly. A dice game before tracing joins up the amount, the numeral and the word.
Summarised in our own words from the Primary Mathematics Curriculum (2023) and the NCCA Mathematics Toolkit.
