Comparing and Ordering Numbers to 100
Comparing and ordering numbers to 100 is deciding which of two numbers is bigger or smaller (using the words 'greater than', 'less than' and 'equal to', and from Year 2 onward the symbols <, > and =) and arranging a set of numbers from smallest to largest or largest to smallest.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Start concrete with base-10 blocks or bundles of ten straws plus loose ones: build both numbers side by side and compare the number of ten-bundles first - more bundles always means a bigger number, regardless of how many loose ones are left over.
- Only compare the loose ones (the ones digit) once the number of bundles (the tens digit) is equal for both numbers, and make this order explicit every time: tens first, ones only if the tens are tied.
- Move to a hundred square as the pictorial stage: numbers further down and further right are bigger, so a child can check a comparison visually by finding both numbers' positions.
- Introduce a number line marked in tens (0, 10, 20... 100) with small ticks for the ones, and have the child place two numbers on it - the one further to the right is bigger. This also supports later work on rounding.
- Introduce the words 'greater than' and 'less than' attached firmly to a direction (greater means further right or further down the hundred square) before introducing the < and > symbols, since the symbols themselves carry no meaning until the words are secure.
- Teach the < and > symbols as 'the open mouth eats the bigger number': the wide, open end of the symbol always faces the larger number, and the point faces the smaller one. Practise reading a completed statement like 38 < 52 out loud as '38 is less than 52' so the symbol and the words reinforce each other.
- For ordering three or more numbers, teach a simple sorting method rather than free comparison: find the smallest of the whole set first and write it down, cross it off, then find the smallest of what remains, repeating until every number has been placed.
- Watch for the specific misconception that a number with a bigger ones digit is automatically bigger, e.g. a child comparing 29 and 31 sometimes picks 29 because '9 is a big number', ignoring that the tens digit (3 tens versus 2 tens) already settles it.
Worked example
Put these numbers in order, starting with the smallest: 58, 85, 45
- Compare the tens digits first: 58 and 85 have 5 tens and 8 tens; 45 has 4 tens.
- 45 has the fewest tens (4), so it is the smallest of the three.
- Between 58 and 85, compare tens again: 5 tens is fewer than 8 tens, so 58 is smaller than 85.
- Order from smallest to largest: 45, 58, 85.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Circle the bigger number: 67 or 76.Show answer
Answer: 76
Q2Write < or > to make this true: 39 __ 41.Show answer
Answer: < (39 < 41)
Q3Write the numbers in order, starting with the smallest: 22, 82, 28.Show answer
Answer: 22, 28, 82
Q4Circle the smaller number: 54 or 45.Show answer
Answer: 45
Q5Write < or > to make this true: 90 __ 89.Show answer
Answer: > (90 > 89)
Q6Kwame says 63 is bigger than 71 because 3 is a bigger digit than 1. Is he correct?Show answer
Answer: No - 71 is bigger, because 71 has 7 tens and 63 has only 6 tens; the tens digit is compared first
Q7Write these numbers in order, starting with the largest: 34, 43, 40.Show answer
Answer: 43, 40, 34
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a KS1 Maths exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Write these four numbers in order, starting with the smallest: 76, 67, 70, 61.
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Write < , > or = to make each statement true: (a) 48 __ 84 (b) 55 __ 55.
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Elsie has 36 stickers. Farida has 63 stickers. Farida says she has more stickers because her number sounds bigger. Explain, using place value, why Farida is right, and by how many stickers.
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Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the comparing and ordering numbers to 100 worksheet pack - 8 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
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