Number line

Imagine you’re at a birthday party and all the kids are wearing hats with numbers on them. These numbers are like a special secret code that tells you where they are in the room.

Now, let’s say you want to put all the kids in order from least to greatest based on their numbers. One way to do this is to create a pretend line on the floor and line up the kids with the lowest number on the left and the highest number on the right.

This pretend line is what we call a number line. It’s an imaginary line that helps us order numbers by putting them in a line from smallest to largest or from largest to smallest. It’s like a map for numbers so we know where they are in relation to each other.

Each number has a special spot on the number line. The number 0 is in the middle and any number to the right of 0 is bigger than 0 and any number to the left of 0 is smaller than 0.

As you move further to the right of 0, the numbers get bigger and bigger like when we count: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and so on. If you move further to the left, the numbers get smaller and smaller like when we count backwards: -1, -2, -3, and so on.

The number line helps us understand how we can add, subtract, multiply, and divide numbers. It makes math easier and more fun!