Early MathCompare numbers up to 20
Name: Date:
Write >, < or = between the two numbers.
11818
21813
3813
444
5111
677
797
81817
Greater than, less than worksheets
Before children add or subtract, they learn to judge which of two numbers is bigger. These free printable worksheets ask a child to fill the middle sign — greater than, less than, or equal to — for pairs of numbers up to twenty.
If they get stuck
Greater than, less than
The answer key prints on a separate page.
What's on this sheet
Each question shows two numbers with an empty circle between them, and the child writes the symbol that makes the statement true. These sheets deliberately keep the two numbers close together — 12 and 13, not 5 and 19 — so a child has to actually compare rather than eyeball an obvious gap, and it mixes greater-than, less-than, and equal-to questions evenly instead of leaning on lopsided pairs.
Why this sheet works
Comparing is a young skill, so each sheet stays short: a small handful of pairs is plenty of focused practice for an early learner.
How this one works
One question from a sheet like this one, worked a step at a time — with a sentence saying what just happened and why.
Greater than, less than, step by step