How do you teach ascending order of numbers?

Answer 1

For kids anything that is visual and involves a lot of doing is very easy to remember ... for ever!

So, if we want to teach ascending order, it can be done in many ways.

One Example:

Point 1: Take them to a flight of steps - number it by marking the lowest step with 1, the next with 2 and so on. Then make them jump up each step while saying the numbers written aloud and tell them that they are ascending from a lower level to the higher level. Then make them jump down each step while once again saying the numbers written aloud and tell them that they are descending from a higher level to the lower level. This way they remember ascending means low to high and descending means high to low.

Point 2: Then for them to understand which number is the smallest or which number is the biggest, in order to arrange them in ascending or descending order. Give them a sample. Then (i) firstly, ask them to look the number of digits in each number, the number with the least digit is the smallest, so that should be written down first in the ascending order list, then strike off that number from the question list. You can do this till you arrive in a situation when there are 2 or more numbers with similar amount of digits. (ii) Now you need to ask them to check the digit in the highest place value and whichever is the smallest will be the next number in line - eg. 397, 566, 236, in this list numbers start with 300, 500 and 200, so, the number starting with 200 i.e. 236 is the next in line. (iii) Then you might have a situation like 443, 493, 456, so you go to the next place value - 40, 90, 50, so answer is 443. You continue to go on like this and the reverse applies in case they have to do the numbers in descending order.

Though too long an answer, I hope this was useful to you :-)