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Counting to 20 and Beyond: Hop the Lily Pond with Pip

Counting to 20 and Beyond: Hop the Lily Pond with Pip

Learn counting to 20 and beyond, past 10 and on to 30, by tapping lily pads as Pip the frog hops along and choosing the next number.

  • Ages 4–6
  • About 25 min
  • Easy start
  • Numbers
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What you'll learn

  • Counting aloud past 10, saying eleven to twenty in order
  • Hearing the 'teen' ending in thirteen, fourteen and fifteen
  • The counting pattern after 20: twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three
  • After every nine comes a new tens word, like thirty
  • Choosing the next number in a count up to 30
  • Counting on from any number within 20 without restarting at one

Chapter by chapter

  1. Counting past 10: eleven to twenty Free to try

    Reception maths · 1

  2. Counting past 20: the pattern twenty-one, twenty-two…

    Reception maths · 2

  3. Counting on from any number within 20

    Reception maths · 1 Reception maths · 2

  4. Big counting challenge to 30 (8 questions)

What the chapters cover in the national curriculum in England:

  1. Reception maths: Count beyond 10
  2. Reception maths: Verbally count beyond 20, recognising the pattern of the counting system

About this adventure

Counting to 20 and Beyond is an interactive maths game that teaches children aged 4–6 to count past 10, past 20 and on to about 30, hearing the pattern that repeats in each ten.

Children tap glowing lily pads and Pip the frog hops across, saying each number aloud. The pads sit in rows of ten, so 1, 11 and 21 line up and the pattern is easy to see. Children count aloud together with Pip, pick the next number from three cards that are read out to them, and practise the tricky spots: the teen numbers, nineteen to twenty and twenty-nine to thirty.

They also learn to count on from a number such as 12 or 17 instead of starting again at one. Every instruction is spoken, so children who cannot read yet can play on their own.

Questions and answers

How do you teach a child to count past 20?

Help them hear that after twenty the one-to-nine pattern repeats: twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three. Pause on each tens number and practise the switch after nine, such as twenty-nine to thirty, so the new tens word becomes familiar.

Why do children say 'twenty-ten' after twenty-nine?

They are following the one-to-nine pattern and expect it to carry on to ten. Children need to learn that after any number ending in nine comes a new tens word: nineteen then twenty, twenty-nine then thirty.

What does counting on from a number mean?

Counting on means starting from a number other than one and carrying on, for example fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, without going back to the start. It is quicker than counting from one and builds confidence with the order of numbers.

What age is this counting game for?

The game is made for children aged 4 to 6 and matches the Reception (EYFS) goal of counting verbally beyond 20. It also suits older children who still find teen numbers tricky, and every instruction is read aloud.

What does the counting game include and how long does it take?

It has three chapters and an eight-question counting challenge, taking about 25 minutes in total. Each chapter opens with a short animated introduction, and two chapters offer an optional warm-up count first.

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