How it works
On free counting back worksheets each row gives the first two numbers, such as 20, 19, and the pupil writes the rest going down. Sheets run from counting back from 10 to counting back by 10s.
Read the full guide
From 10, then 20, then 100
Start with Count back from 10: rows that start between 6 and 10 and end between 1 and 5. Count back from 20 crosses 10, the place many children stop. The rows within 50 and 100 cross a ten, where 40 is followed by 39.
1 less, 10 less and skip counting back
The 1 less and 10 less sheets ask for one number at a time: 10 less than 73 is 63. The last three sheets count back by 2s, 5s and 10s; by 10s from 87 the ones digit stays 7.
- Count back out loud as a class once before the sheet. A child who says 'forty, thirty-nine' will write it.
- A hundreds chart on the desk helps with the 10 less sheet: 10 less is the number straight above.
Questions and answers
Why is counting back harder than counting on?
Children say the counting words forwards far more often, so going down means working out each number. The hard spots are crossing a ten, such as 31, 30, 29, and getting past 10 on the way to 1.
What grade learns to count back?
Common Core asks kindergarten to count forward from a given number and grade 1 to count to 120 from any number and find 10 less in their heads. Counting back is how most classes practise both.
Do the rows change every time?
Yes. Make a new sheet starts each row at a new number, and the answer key follows. Count back from 10 has only five different rows, so its sheet is short.