Preschool · Math · week 29

Teen numbers are tricky: practice 13, 14, 15

Practice the irregular teen numbers thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen.

Some teen numbers are extra tricky: thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen do not sound exactly like the number they are built from.

Three becomes thir-teen, not three-teen. Five becomes fif-teen, not five-teen. These are worth extra practice.

📋 For the teacher

Teach it (10–15 min):

Slow down specifically around 13, 14, and 15 - these are the numbers most likely to trip up a 4-year-old.
Point out the sound change gently: "three sounds like thir in thirteen" - a little wordplay makes it memorable.
Practice these three numbers in isolation, not just as part of counting all the way to 20.
Repeat this practice across several days this week; irregular sounds take more repetition than regular patterns.

Talk about it:

What comes right after twelve?
Which of these three numbers, thirteen, fourteen, or fifteen, is trickiest for you?
Can you say thirteen, fourteen, fifteen three times in a row?

Mastery looks like: Child reliably says thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen in the correct order without hesitating or reverting to "three-teen."

Common stumbles: Child says "threeteen" or "fiveteen" instead of the correct irregular words, or skips one of the three when counting.

Records attendance + 15 min of Math for this learner.