NCERT Ganita Prakash, Class 6, textbook pages 257–312

How to teach Class 6 Maths Chapter 10, The Other Side of Zero, at home

Integers: negative numbers, number line and operations, taught with things you already have at home: a 20-minute activity, a game for the week, a 5-day plan and the mistakes to watch for.

543210-1-2-3-4-5above groundbelow ground

NCERT Class 6 Maths Chapter 10 The Other Side of Zero: what it teaches

A building with floors below ground introduces negative numbers. Your child uses the number line and a token model (positive and negative tokens cancelling) to compare, add and subtract integers, and sees integers in temperatures, bank balances and sea levels.

Why it matters later. Integers are used in algebra from Class 7 onward and in science for temperatures and charges.

See it: this chapter in pictures

+++−−−−−3 zero pairs cancel(+3) + (−5) = −2
Zero pairs cancel; what’s left is the answer.
-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1012−3 is right of −7, so −3 > −7
Right on the number line means greater.
0 °C−5 °Ctemperatures below zero
Negative numbers appear in winter temperatures.

You need

  • two colours of buttons (positive and negative tokens)
  • a vertical number line drawn like a building
  • a thermometer or weather app

Tonight’s 20 minutes

  1. Draw a lift with floors from −5 to +5. Start at +2, go down 4 floors: where are you?
  2. Use tokens: 3 positive and 5 negative. Cancel pairs. What remains? (−2)
  3. Compare −7 and −3 on the number line. Which is greater?
  4. Find cities below 0 °C in winter on a weather app.

Words to use

  • integer
  • positive
  • negative
  • zero pair
  • number line
  • greater than
  • opposite

Watch for

  • Thinking −7 is bigger than −3. On the number line, numbers to the right are bigger: −3 is greater.
  • Subtracting a negative: 5 − (−2) = 3. Taking away a debt is gaining: 5 − (−2) = 7. Show with tokens.

What it sounds like at home

A short example of the conversation. Your words will differ; the questions are what matter.

YouStart on floor +2, go down 4.

Your child−2, two floors below ground.

YouWhich is colder, −7 °C or −3 °C?

Your child−7 °C.

You5 − (−2)?

Your childRemoving a debt… 7.

A game for this week: Token battle

  1. Each player gets positive and negative tokens.
  2. Draw number cards like +4 or −6 and add them to your pile.
  3. Cancel zero pairs.
  4. Closest to zero after five turns wins.

A 5-day plan, 20 minutes a day

  1. Day 1Lift floors number line.
  2. Day 2Token model addition.
  3. Day 3Comparing negative numbers.
  4. Day 4Temperatures below zero.
  5. Day 5Token battle game.

Everyday moments to practise

  • Temperatures below zero.
  • Lift floors below ground.
  • Bank balances and loans.
  • Sea level heights.

Quick check

Ask these at the end of the week. Tap to see the answer.

Which is greater: −3 or −7?

−3.

(+3) + (−5)?

−2.

5 − (−2)?

7.

Ready for the next chapter when your child…

  • Places integers on a number line.
  • Adds and subtracts integers with tokens.
  • Compares integers correctly.

Activities, wording and illustrations are Mathify Kids’ own, following the topics of NCERT’s Ganita Prakash (Class 6). See the full Class 6 parent guide for every chapter.

Questions parents ask

What are integers?

Whole numbers and their negatives: …, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, …

Why is −3 greater than −7?

It is to the right of −7 on the number line.

Why does subtracting a negative add?

Removing a negative token is the same as adding a positive one.