Year 1 Maths: Ordinal Numbers – Up to Fifth

What Are Ordinal Numbers?

Hello, everyone! Today, we are going to learn about ordinal numbers. These numbers tell us the position of something in a list. For example, if you have a line of friends, you can say who is first, second, third, fourth, or fifth in line.

Examples of Ordinal Numbers

• 1st – First
• 2nd – Second
• 3rd – Third
• 4th – Fourth
• 5th – Fifth

Let’s imagine you have five toys. If you put them in a row, you can say:

• The teddy bear is 1st.
• The car is 2nd.
• The doll is 3rd.
• The ball is 4th.
• The robot is 5th.

Key Rules for Ordinal Numbers

1. Use ‘st’, ‘nd’, ‘rd’, and ‘th’:
   • We add ‘st’ for first (1st), ‘nd’ for second (2nd), ‘rd’ for third (3rd), and ‘th’ for all the others (4th, 5th, 6th, etc.).
2. Count Carefully:
   • When counting objects or people, remember to point to each one to help you keep track of their order.
3. Practice Makes Perfect:
   • The more you use ordinal numbers, the easier they will become!

Tips and Tricks

• Visualisation: Use pictures of people or objects in a line to help you see their positions.
• Games: Play games where you can put items in order and say their ordinal positions.
• Songs and Rhymes: Sing songs or make up rhymes that include ordinal numbers to help you remember them.

Questions for Practice

Easy Level (1-20)

1. What is the ordinal number for 1?
2. What is the ordinal number for 2?
3. What is the ordinal number for 3?
4. What is the ordinal number for 4?
5. What is the ordinal number for 5?
6. If you have three apples, what is the position of the first apple?
7. If you have five books, what is the position of the second book?
8. What comes after 2nd?
9. What comes before 5th?
10. How do you write ‘fourth’ in numbers?
11. Who is 1st in a race?
12. If a cat is 3rd, how many animals are before it?
13. What is the position of the last toy if you have five toys?
14. In a line of 4 kids, what number is the third kid?
15. If you are 2nd in line, who is in front of you?
16. How do you say 4 in ordinal numbers?
17. Which is 5th in this list: apple, banana, cherry, date, and grape?
18. If you have 2nd and 3rd, what is the number before them?
19. How many people are in front of the fourth person if there are five?
20. What is the ordinal number for the last position in a group of 5?

Medium Level (21-40)

21. What is the ordinal number for 6?
22. If you have 7 toys, what is the position of the 6th toy?
23. Write the ordinal number for 8.
24. If you have 10 friends, who is 5th in line?
25. How many positions are there before the 4th?
26. If the dog is 2nd and the cat is 3rd, what number does the rabbit have if it’s before the cat?
27. What is the 1st month of the year?
28. In a race of 10 runners, what position is the runner who finishes last?
29. What comes before 3rd?
30. How do you say 9 in ordinal numbers?
31. If you have 5 sweets, what is the position of your favourite one if it is 1st?
32. Who is in 4th place if the line-up is: Anna, Ben, Charlie, and David?
33. If you are 5th in a queue, how many people are behind you if there are 8?
34. Write the ordinal numbers from 1st to 5th.
35. What is the 3rd letter of the alphabet?
36. If you are 2nd on the team, who is the best player?
37. If 5 toys are on the shelf, and the teddy bear is 4th, how many toys are before it?
38. How many toys are there if the robot is 5th?
39. Which ordinal number comes after 1st?
40. If the 2nd person has a red hat, who is in the 1st position?

Hard Level (41-60)

41. If you have a line of 12 students, what is the position of the 10th student?
42. Write the ordinal number for 15.
43. If I have 20 stickers, what is the ordinal number of the 14th sticker?
44. How many stickers are before the 7th?
45. Who sits in the 1st seat if there are 10 seats in a classroom?
46. What is the 9th month of the year?
47. If the elephant is 1st and the lion is 2nd, what position is the zebra if it is last in a group of 5?
48. What ordinal number comes before 10th?
49. How do you say 11 in ordinal numbers?
50. If there are 5 cakes and the chocolate cake is 3rd, what is the position of the vanilla cake if it is 1st?
51. If the 6th child in line is wearing glasses, how many children are in front of them?
52. Write the ordinal numbers for the days of the week.
53. How many positions are there after the 4th in a line of 8?
54. What is the position of the letter ‘D’ in the English alphabet?
55. If 10 kids are in a race and you are 5th, how many are behind you?
56. How many children are in front of the 3rd child if there are 7 children?
57. What is the 8th planet from the Sun?
58. If the snail is 4th and the rabbit is 1st, which is faster?
59. Write down the first five ordinal numbers in word form.
60. If the 2nd car in a race is red, what can you say about the 1st car?

Answers to Questions

Easy Level Answers

1. The ordinal number for 1 is 1st.
2. The ordinal number for 2 is 2nd.
3. The ordinal number for 3 is 3rd.
4. The ordinal number for 4 is 4th.
5. The ordinal number for 5 is 5th.
6. The first apple is in the 1st position.
7. The second book is in the 2nd position.
8. After 2nd comes 3rd.
9. Before 5th is 4th.
10. ‘Fourth’ in numbers is 4.
11. The first person in a race is 1st.
12. If a cat is 3rd, there are 2 animals before it.
13. The last toy is in the 5th position.
14. The third kid is in the 3rd position.
15. The person in front of you is 1st.
16. The ordinal number for 4 is 4th.
17. Grape is 5th in the list.
18. The number before 2nd is 1st.
19. There are 3 people in front of the fourth person.
20. The last position in a group of 5 is 5th.

Medium Level Answers

21. The ordinal number for 6 is 6th.
22. The position of the 6th toy is 6th.
23. The ordinal number for 8 is 8th.
24. The 5th friend is in the 5th position.
25. There are 3 positions before the 4th.
26. The rabbit is 1st.
27. The 1st month of the year is January.
28. The runner who finishes last is in the 10th position.
29. Before 3rd is 2nd.
30. The ordinal number for 9 is 9th.
31. Your favourite sweet is in the 1st position.
32. David is in 4th place.
33. There are 3 people behind you.
34. The ordinal numbers from 1st to 5th are 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th.
35. The 3rd letter of the alphabet is C.
36. The best player is in the 1st position.
37. There are 3 toys before it.
38. There are 5 toys total.
39. The ordinal number that comes after 1st is 2nd.
40. The 1st position is empty.

Hard Level Answers

41. The position of the 10th student is 10th.
42. The ordinal number for 15 is 15th.
43. The 14th sticker is in the 14th position.
44. There are 6 stickers before the 7th.
45. The 1st seat in the classroom is 1st.
46. The 9th month of the year is September.
47. The zebra is in the 5th position.
48. The ordinal number that comes before 10th is 9th.
49. The ordinal number for 11 is 11th.
50. The vanilla cake is in the 1st position.
51. There are 5 children in front of them.
52. The ordinal numbers for the days of the week are 1st Monday, 2nd Tuesday, etc..
53. There are 4 positions after the 4th.
54. The letter ‘D’ is in the 4th position.
55. There are 4 kids behind you.
56. There are 2 children in front of the 3rd child.
57. The 8th planet from the Sun is Neptune.
58. The rabbit is faster.
59. The first five ordinal numbers are 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th.
60. The 1st car is a different colour.

I hope you enjoyed learning about ordinal numbers! Keep practicing, and you’ll be a pro in no time!