Ordinal numbers worksheet
Forty questions on ordinal numbers: places in a line of letters and shapes, 1st to 10th as words, what comes next, missing ordinals and six problems.
Download the free ordinal numbers worksheet (PDF)
Ordinal numbers worksheet
What’s on the worksheet
- 40 questions on ordinal numbers, sized for US Letter paper
- 2 pages of questions plus an answer key on the last page
- Written for kindergarten and grade 1, matching Common Core K.CC.B.4
- Name and date lines at the top, and room to show the work
Sample questions from this worksheet
- Which letter is 3rd in the line?
- What place is the letter H?
- 6th = (write the word)
- After 7th comes
- The square is ___ in the line of shapes.
- Mia is 4th in a line of 9 children. How many children are in front of her?
Preview the worksheet and answer key
Practice ordinal numbers online
Between worksheets, a few minutes of online practice keeps the skill fresh. The ordinal numbers practice shows a line of children and asks who is 3rd, 5th or 8th, marking each answer straight away. Lining up toys and asking “who is 6th?” is the best warm-up of all. For a counting game, try Number Race.
Ordinal numbers: a worked example (Which letter is 3rd?)
- Find the front of the line. It is on the left, where the arrow points.
- Count from the front: 1st, 2nd, 3rd.
- Stop on the 3rd letter.
- Say its place in a sentence: “D is 3rd in line.”
How to use it at home and in class
At home
Line up toys before starting and ask “who is first? who is third?” Then try the letters on page 1. The first three are the tricky ones, because first, second and third don’t sound like one, two and three. A short list on the fridge helps: 1st first, 2nd second, 3rd third, then add -th. The ordinal numbers lesson has a picture line to practice with. Ten problems a day works better than a whole sheet at once. Mark them together with the answer key, then ask your child to explain one they got wrong: finding the mistake themselves is where the learning happens.
In class
Use the first row as a warm-up, a full page for independent practice, or five questions as an exit ticket. For a retake or a second group, make a new version with the test maker so every child gets different numbers.
Mistakes to watch for
- Counting from the back of the line instead of the front.
- Mixing the endings: 2th or 3th instead of 2nd and 3rd.
- Spelling fifth as fiveth, or ninth as nineth.
- In the problems, counting the child too when asked how many are in front.
What to practice before and after ordinal numbers
- Before: hundreds chart. If this sheet is a struggle, go back a step.
- After: number patterns, once this one is mostly right.
- Learn it first: the ordinal numbers lesson.
More number sense & place value worksheets
Last reviewed
Questions parents ask
What are ordinal numbers?
Ordinal numbers tell the position of something in order: first, second, third and so on. They are written 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th. Cardinal numbers, like 1, 2 and 3, tell how many.
What grade is this ordinal numbers worksheet for?
It is written for kindergarten and grade 1 and matches Common Core standard K.CC.B.4.
Is there an answer key for this ordinal numbers worksheet?
Yes. The last page of the PDF has every answer, so you can mark the sheet in a few minutes and talk through any mistakes together.