Number tracing helps a child connect three things: the shape of a numeral, its name ("five", "पाँच") and the quantity it stands for. On this page your child picks a number from 0 to 9, watches a green dot write it in the right order, and then traces the thick grey path with a finger. The number fills with colour, a chime plays, Golu says the number in English and Hindi, and that many apples pop up to count. Then comes the most important step: "Now write it on paper!"
What your child learns from number tracing
Writing numbers is a maths skill and a hand skill. Children need to know where each number starts and which way it goes: 2 and 3 start with a curve to the right, 5 starts with its stick and belly and gets its "hat" last, 6 starts at the top and curls into a loop, and 9 is a ball with a stick. Getting this right early prevents the very common reversals of 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9. Because every number ends with a group of apples to count, the page also practises one-to-one counting: one touch for one apple. Zero shows no apples at all, which is a nice surprise and a first talk about "nothing".
How to use the number tracing game
- Choose a number from the row of numbers above the board, or start at 0 and tap Next to go in order.
- Watch the green dot write it. Tap Watch any time to see the demo again.
- Trace from the green number 1 along the arrow. Numbers such as 4 and 5 have two strokes, and the next start dot turns green when the first stroke is done.
- Count the apples that appear, touching each one, and say the number together.
- Write it on paper, then tap Next. After a few numbers your child earns a marble for the Goli Jar.
The tracing is forgiving: a line near the path counts, and about 70 percent of a stroke is enough. Children who cannot drag yet can tap along the path to fill it. The Left hand button suits left-handed children, and with calm motion switched on (or "reduce motion" on the device) the board becomes a still, numbered diagram with a Done button, which also works with a keyboard. The अ+A button switches the language order.
Number writing rhymes that help
Short rhymes turn the movement into words a child can say to themselves. Say them while you trace here and on paper.
| Number | How it is written | A rhyme to say |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Start at the top, go round to the left, back to the top | "Round and round, back to the top, zero is a hero!" |
| 1 | A little flick, then straight down | "A little hat, then straight line down, that is one!" |
| 2 | Curve over, slide down, line across | "Round the track and back on the line, two looks fine." |
| 3 | Two bumps, one under the other | "Around the tree, around the tree, that makes three." |
| 4 | Down and across, then a long line down | "Down and over and down some more, that makes four." |
| 5 | Stick down, round the belly, hat on top | "Short neck, big belly, put on his hat, five is fat." |
| 6 | Curve down and make a loop | "Down to the bottom, make a loop, six rolls a hoop." |
| 7 | Across the sky, then down to the ground | "Across the sky and down from heaven, that makes seven." |
| 8 | Make an S, then go back up | "Make an S but do not wait, climb back up to make an eight." |
| 9 | A ball, then a stick | "A ball and a line, that makes nine." |
How to teach numbers 1 to 10, step by step
- Count real things first. Stairs, spoons, buttons and rotis. Counting out loud with touching comes before writing.
- Match quantity and numeral. Put 3 blocks next to a card with 3 on it. Our counting 1 to 10 game practises exactly this.
- Trace big. Air-writing with a whole arm, then chalk on the floor, then this screen.
- Trace small. Crayon on paper, following dotted numbers you draw with a green start dot.
- Write from memory. Say a number, your child writes it, then draws that many circles next to it.
Keep it to 5 to 10 minutes a day and one or two new numbers at a time. Easy ones come first: 1, 7, 4 and 0. Curvy ones like 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9 take longer.
What to expect at each age
At 2 to 3, children count by rote and may point to a few numbers; tracing lines and circles is the right level, so start with our pre-writing lines. At 3 to 4 (nursery), many children trace 1 to 5 and count up to 5 objects. At 4 to 5 (LKG), most trace 0 to 9 and write some from memory, with reversals. At 5 to 6 (UKG), they write 1 to 20 and beyond; the 1 to 100 chart helps with bigger numbers. Reversing numbers is normal until about 7.
Everyday number writing ideas
- Shop list. Your child writes "3" next to your drawing of bananas and counts them at the shop.
- Clock and calendar. Find the numbers on the clock face and on the calendar, then trace one with a finger.
- Number hunt. Spot numbers on buses, gates and lift buttons, and air-write each one you find.
- Hindi and English. Say each number in both languages; our Hindi ginti page has एक, दो, तीन to 100 with audio.
- What comes next? After writing 4, ask what comes before and after, then play before and after numbers.
Worksheet tip: this site has no PDF, but you can print this page, or fold a sheet into ten boxes, write a dotted number in each with a green start dot, and ask your child to trace it and draw that many dots.
Keep practice gentle
Praise effort and trying again ("You started at the green dot!") rather than perfect shapes. If a number feels hard, go back to one your child likes or trace it together hand over hand. Children with motor or attention difficulties often prefer the still diagram mode, fewer numbers per session and lots of real counting. If you are worried about hand skills or number learning, talk to your paediatrician. Keep screen sessions short, sit together, and keep plenty of real objects to count nearby.
How to use this page at home
Say it, then find it
Play for a few minutes, then look for the same thing away from the screen: number tracing on the shelf, in the kitchen, on the way to school. A child learns a word properly when they meet it twice, once on the screen and once in their hand.
Ten minutes is enough
Short and happy beats long and tired. Stop while your child still wants more, and come back tomorrow: the same page on five short days teaches far more than one long sitting. Nothing here is scored, so there is no reason to push.
Use both languages
Tap the language button at the top to hear the words in your home language first and the second language after. Hearing the same picture named in two languages is one of the few things research agrees builds attention as well as vocabulary.
