More and less

Take a look at the picture. You can see two piles of apples. Which has more? The left one! The right one has fewer.

How we tell where there are more

The simplest way is pairing. Imagine that each apple finds a buddy:

• take one apple from the left pile and one from the right — put them next to each other
• keep going as long as you have apples on both sides
• if any apples are left over on one side, that side has more

Even when the difference is small

Sometimes the difference is big and you see it right away. Other times the difference is small — like 4 and 5. Then you have to count carefully.

In the fishbowls above there are fish. Point with your finger and count:

• left: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven — seven fish
• right: one, two — two fish

There are more fish on the left. Fewer on the right.

Words we use

• more — a larger amount
• less or fewer — a smaller amount

Try saying it: "There are more on the left. There are fewer on the right."

Size vs. count rule

Watch out — your eyes can fool you. Three big apples can look bigger than five small ones. But count is count! Five is more than three, even if the three pieces look bigger. Always count.

Try it yourself

Open the Compare balls exercise. You see two groups of balls and click on the one that has more.

When that's easy, look at The same amount too — for the times when neither pile has more.