What are negative numbers?
Numbers don't just stop at zero. When you count backwards from zero, you go into negative numbers.
Positive numbers are more than zero: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.
Negative numbers are less than zero: -1, -2, -3, -4, -5, etc.
A number line can be used to order negative and positive numbers.
Zero, 0, is neither positive nor negative.
Watch: Negative numbers?
Activity 1
Activity 2
Teaching resources
Looking for more resources to help your students understand negative numbers? Get your class up and learning with this song and movement video from our Super Movers series from The Posh Pooch.
大象传媒 Teach has thousands of free, curriculum-linked resources to help deliver lessons - all arranged by subject and age group鈥
NEW! Play Guardians: Defenders of Mathematica - the winter update. gameNEW! Play Guardians: Defenders of Mathematica - the winter update
It's Mathematica as you鈥檝e never seen it before, with all-new festive backgrounds and costumes. Available for a limited time only. Use your maths skills to save the day before it's too late!
More on Place value
Find out more by working through a topic
- count1 of 4
- count2 of 4
- count3 of 4