How it works
A blank number line has evenly spaced marks and no numbers, so one sheet serves counting on, tenths or negatives. This page opens on eight 10-space lines. The Sheet menu also has open number lines, with no marks at all.
Read the full guide
Label it for the lesson
Write the first number under the first mark and the last under the last. Every space is the same size, so every mark goes up by the same amount. On 10 spaces, 0 to 10 counts in ones and 0 to 1 counts in tenths. On 20 spaces, put 0 under the middle mark for −10 to 10.
Marks or no marks
Lines with marks are for placing and reading numbers. Open lines have no marks: the child writes only the numbers they need and draws each jump as an arc.
- For a wipe-off line, print one big line, slip it into a page protector and use a dry-erase marker.
- The 12-space sheet fits twelfths of one whole, or the months of a year.
Questions and answers
What is an open number line?
An open number line, also called an empty number line, is a line with no marks or numbers on it. To add 38 + 25, a child writes 38 near the left, draws a jump of 20 to 58 and one of 5 to 63.
How do I label a blank number line?
Write the start under the first mark and the end under the last. Then take the end minus the start and divide by the number of spaces: that is what each mark adds. 0 to 50 on 10 spaces counts in fives.
Can I make a blank number line from −10 to 10?
Yes. Print Blank number lines, 20 spaces: each line has 21 marks, so the 11th mark is the middle. Write 0 there, then 1 to 10 to the right and −1 to −10 to the left.